The Metropolitan Police Oz Story
by Setoglomper
Summary: They chased their suspect through the storm to an old warehouse, but for Detectives Satou and Takagi, not every arrest goes as planned, especially when they end up in a foreign land with talking scarecrows, tin men, lions, and a mysterious wizard.
1. The Storm

Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan. It belongs to Gosho Aoyama. I do own the crime group I created for this story. I tried being as original with the names as possible, but the thirty trillion different suspects that have passed through the manga and anime originals from case to case is quite hard to keep track of, so any identical names to existing characters is purely coincidental.

Note: The events of this story take place at around Chapter 708 in the manga. If there's any questions about what's going on in the story up to that point (and what of that is relevant to this one), feel free to PM me or ask in a review.

* * *

Chapter 1: The Storm

_One month ago…_

"You've done well, Makuto" said a man from the shadowy corner of the warehouse, "Very well for your first assignment. I don't need you anymore tonight, get on out of here."

The man named Makuto nodded and turned to leave. He walked out of the warehouse located on the edge of Tokyo, and to the bus stop a small ways up the road. Makuto got off at the stop nearest a small diner on a busy street corner. He stopped to get a small coffee, then unlocked and drove off in his car parked behind the building. From there, Makuto drove to the closest hotel, and stepped out of the car cautiously. Once he was sure he wasn't being followed for the umpteenth time since he left the warehouse, he continued inside and up to fourth floor. He knocked twice on door 403.

"Who is it?" a man inside asked.

"It's me," said Makuto.

He heard the lock click as Inspector Megure opened the door and allowed him inside. Once he was sure there was no one lurking in the hall, he closed and locked the door before turning to his guest.

"Okay, Takagi-kun, what information do you have for us?"

"I've been doing this for a month now, and just finished my first assignment, and apparently he was pleased with the results," said Takagi, collapsing into a chair, "I got him the information we planted and allowed them to get."

"Do you think Toshiro suspects you at all?" asked Shiratori.

The young detective shook his head, "I don't think so. Toshiro hasn't shown any indications, so I can assume my cover hasn't been blown." He sat next to Shiratori, "I do know of two more members of this organization though. I met them today."

"Are they high up in the chain?" asked Megure.

Takagi nodded, "The first is Aiku Hidemi. She seems to be _very_ close to Toshiro. Aiku is also an excellent shot. I saw her practicing on a dummy."

"We've heard of her," said Megure, "She's already on the wanted list. Who's the other one?"

"He only goes by the name of 'Ichiro', if that's his real name," said Takagi, "This is one _big _guy. He could probably take out Satou-san."

Shiratori and Megure exchanged looks. There weren't all that many people who could take out Detective Satou in a fight.

"Did you get any news on where Toshiro lives or goes after these meetings?" asked Megure, "If we could catch him alone, it would make cracking down on this organization easier, especially since he's the leader."

Takagi shook his head, "I've only seen him during meetings. Every time is a different warehouse or abandoned building outside Tokyo."

Megure nodded, "Shiratori-kun will get those names investigated further. In the meantime, why don't you go home? You look ready to collapse from exhaustion right here…."

_Present time…_

"The suspects have run into an old warehouse," said Takagi into the radio. With a screeching halt, Satou pulled up her car behind the suspect's and looked over at her partner.

"What did Megure-keibu say?" she asked, but Takagi held up a hand, still on the radio with headquarters. She nodded and looked out her driver-side window. The rain was pouring down harder than before. If she didn't know any better, Satou would have thought her car was sitting under a waterfall. With the extreme downpours and the wind gusting it everywhere, she was barely able to see the car in front of her.

Takagi sighed, placing the radio back into its hook. He turned to his partner, "Satou-san, Megure-keibu says the storm is even worse back at headquarters and that he can't send us any reinforcements, but there is also the chance that Toshiro might have some of his own."

"Well we can't stay in the car while he and his cronies get away," said Satou, "But if they aren't sending us backup, how are two officers supposed to stand up to one of the largest crime organizations we've ever faced?"

Takagi frowned, looking out the window into the rain. "What if we were able to stall them until the storm lets up and Megure-keibu can send some help?"

"Hmm," Satou said, "Two officers, two sets of handcuffs, and two government-issued pistols against who knows how many gun smugglers and killers. Stalling could end up in suicide, Takagi-kun."

* * *

"Are you sure we can't send them help? Not even one group?" Shiratori asked, "This might be too big for Satou-san and Takagi-kun to handle."

Megure nodded, looking out from his desk at the city below, "I know, but we can't risk putting out more officers into this weather, and it's only going to get worse. The only thing we can do right now is to call Satou-kun and have them hold back until we can send assistance." He sighed, and then the phone on his desk rang. "This is Megure. Oh, Satou-kun, listen…what? I can hardly hear you in this…what!? Are you crazy!? …I see…I'll send help once I get the approval. …What's that? Oh, the weather. It's bad, and going to get worse before it gets better…alright, we'll be there as soon as we can." He hung up and sighed.

Shiratori raised an eyebrow, "What's going on?"

Megure faced him with a worried glance, "Satou-kun said that they're going inside before Toshiro can try to escape and before his help can arrive. There's no telling how the storm is by them, but apparently not as bad as it is here. If they can catch Toshiro quickly they're going to try and return here."

Shiratori's eyes widened, "They must be out of their minds! They know that that warehouse had a strong possibility of being one of their main hideouts. Satou-san should have waited for backup."

"I know," said Megure, "But if they can catch him, who's almost at the top of their chain, it could definitely help us shut down their operation for good."

Shiratori looked back outside, frowning, "I still don't think sending Takagi-kun back to the organization, even to make an arrest, was a smart idea. After being undercover for two months he was able to get far in their ranks. We can't say how suspicious Toshiro and the others may be of him, but they might become more violent when they find out he's a cop."

"_If_ they find out," said Megure, "If for two months they haven't suspected him at all, then there's the chance they still don't. Besides, there's no way of knowing whether or not Toshiro is still in that warehouse. In the storm he might have already fled."

Shiratori crossed his arms, "It could be a trap," he said worriedly, "Lead him up the totem pole and give him pieces of information to see if and how the police act on them." He sighed, "I still think it's a –"

"Megure-keibu!" Chiba called from across the room, "There's another severe storm warning!"

"Another?" Shiratori asked, "That must make what, five now?"

"Shh! Don't jinx, Shiratori-kun," said Megure, "Well, what is it?"

Chiba told him.

"Shiratori-kun, get in contact with Satou-kun and Takagi-kun and get them to take shelter! We've lost enough lives because of this organization and I will _not_ let two more be lost because they were out in a storm!"

* * *

"I can't believe we left our raincoats in your car," Satou sighed, taking off her high heels and shaking a river's worth of water out of them. They were standing under a tiny overhang by a side door to the warehouse. The overhang was barely large enough to keep both detectives dry from the monsoon.

Takagi shook his head, "_I_ can't believe my car broke down two days after I had it fixed!" There was a sudden gust of wind, spraying the already soaked detectives. "Figures we parked on the other side of the building."

Satou tried the doorknob, "Um, Takagi-kun?"

Takagi slapped a hand to his forehead, "Please don't tell me this is locked too?"

"No – stuck." The wind picked up again as they busted through the door, narrowly missing getting drenched for a third time.

The warehouse was dark and from their position there was no one inside. "This place is bigger than it looks," said Satou, "We could be in here for a long time."

"So much for the movie we were going to see after work tonight," said Takagi, sighing.

Satou peered carefully around a corner, "Ah well. We'll do it tomorrow. Besides, the weather probably knocked out the power at the cinema anyways. Not to mention, after hearing my cousin on the phone yesterday talk about how many times she watched The Wizard of Oz while babysitting, I don't know if I want to watch anything. We'll see how things go tomorrow."

Takagi held up a hand, "Did you hear something, maybe from up there?"

The two detectives crept towards the stairs as quietly as possible. Getting their pistols ready, they slowly moved up the nearest staircase. Takagi could hear voices the farther up they went.

"The hallway seems to split from here," said Satou quietly, as they reached the top, "I'll take this corridor and you can go that way, and we'll meet up at the end."

Takagi grabbed her arm before she moved away, "Wait, Satou-san!" he whispered, "While I was undercover I met one of Toshiro's cronies. I know you can probably take out anyone who tries to pick a fight with you, but this man is one _big _guy! He probably weighs more than both you and I combined with muscles to back it up."

"Don't worry about me, Takagi-kun. I'll be fine. After all, you should be the most careful if they figure out your identity. I'm sure if any of Toshiro's friends are here, we would have heard them by now."

"Maybe we shouldn't split up, just in case," said Takagi, looking cautiously over his shoulder. It wasn't until he looked forward again when the two detectives heard two distinct metallic clicks.

"Now what do we have here?" said a deep voice from behind, "Drop your guns and turn around, nice and slow – and don't think of trying something funny."

Takagi and Satou shared a worried glance. Takagi watched his gun fall as he turned towards Ichiro. _There goes my cover…._

* * *

"I'm sorry we won't be able to have dinner tonight," said Shiratori, "Megure-keibu isn't letting anyone from his division out of here until the weather improves."

"Oh, that's alright," Kobayashi-sensei smiled, transferring her phone to her other hand while picking up a stack of papers, "The schools were let out early and I've been home since late morning. The roads are terrible, but I hope you'll make this up to me. Those reservations were hard to get!"

"I will," Shiratori smiled, glancing down at his watch, "I'm going to have to get off now. I need to try and get in contact with Satou-san and Takagi-kun again."

"I hope it's just bad reception that's keeping you out of contact," she said, "I'll talk to you soon!"

Shiratori hung up and dialed Satou's cell phone.

"Anything?" asked Megure.

Shiratori waited a moment, and then shook his head, "No. Satou-san isn't answering her phone and I tried Takagi-kun's earlier, along with the radio in Satou-san's car. They're not responding."

"Their phones might be in Satou-kun's car," said Megure, "But with this storm, I don't think the reception would be good wherever they are."

"Maybe," Shiratori looked at Chiba and Megure in horror, "Maybe they were caught by the suspect."

Megure cringed. Chief Matsumoto ordered everyone at headquarters to stay until conditions improved. But if there was some way to get help just to check on them…. He grabbed the nearest radio, "Any units already near the Tsukido warehouses move there immediately and aid Satou and Takagi! Repeat – any and all units near the Tsukido warehouses move there immediately!" He was placing the radio back when a crash was heard on the floor below.

"What was that!?" Chiba cried.

Soon after, the doors to Division One opened and a rather wet Inspector Nakamori came in.

"I don't usually see you up here, Nakamori-kun," Megure asked, "Were you just out in the rain?"

"Sort of," Nakamori scowled, "I'm recruiting your men, Megure. Two windows blew out in Division Two and we could use some help getting the floods under control before they flow into the forensics labs."

"Shiratori-kun, you stay here and keep trying to get Satou-kun and Takagi-kun, the rest of you go help downstairs," said Megure to his department. Many of the homicide detectives didn't look excited at the prospect of getting drenched trying to seal up windows, but left anyway.

Once the room had emptied, Shiratori looked at the phone sitting on Inspector Megure's desk. "I swear, if they hurt Takagi-kun or Satou-san in any way, those criminals will rot in the deepest, darkest cell I can find."

* * *

"So there is no Makuto Akiro, but really Takagi Wataru," said Toshiro, leaning against a desk, "I never would have thought it was you leaking information to the cops over our operations. You covered your tracks so well. But really now, did you really think that arresting me would be easy? Is that why it's just you two instead of the whole police force?"

With the focus on Toshiro and Takagi, Satou took the room into account. It was rather dark, but she could make out at least two people with guns aimed at them. She and Takagi were both sitting on the floor handcuffed to a pole running vertically near the side of the room. Besides Toshiro there was a young woman, presumably Aiku Hidemi, holding both of their pistols. The man who had found them was holding a bat that had being lying in the corner of the room and was giving Takagi a look saying he'd love nothing more than to beat the detective into a pile of goo. She turned back to Toshiro just in time to see the large man strike Takagi hard in the right shoulder with the bat, and his following gasp of pain. "Takagi-kun!"

"You were much more talkative when you were deceiving me," said Toshiro, "Answer me – where are the rest of your men staked out? I know you plan to have me arrested once we leave this warehouse, I'm no idiot."

Takagi glared up at Toshiro from his spot on the floor and didn't say a word.

Toshiro bent down to eye level with Takagi, "Who else in the organization are cops? If you're one of them, I'm sure there's more!" He stood up and crouched down next to Satou, "I'd talk, Takagi, or we might have to harm your beautiful partner."

Takagi struggled against the handcuff binding his left wrist to the pole, "Don't even _think _about harming Satou-san!"

"Well, you're not being very cooperative," said Toshiro, "Now answer me, or your partner will have a bullet in her brain. Where are your reinforcements? No one would be stupid enough to plan a high profile arrest with only two cops."

"I suppose we're just two stupid cops then," said Takagi said darkly.

Aiku snorted, "Please! If you were smart enough to cover your tracks and put suspicion on someone else these past two months, you wouldn't screw this up! You're just stalling. Toshiro, we should just kill them now. It's obvious they aren't going to give us information. We should just dispose of them and get out before their reinforcements _do _arrive."

"No," said Toshiro menacingly, "He will tell us…" he got up and took the bat from Ichiro, "And if we have to use his partner to get it out of him, so be it."

The moment he took a step closer to where Satou sat on the ground, the warehouse gave a loud and violent shake. The two detectives gripped the pole tightly as the others tried to keep their balance.

"What's going on?" Ichiro demanded, "What is this, an earthquake?"

"The storm is getting much worse than I thought," said Toshiro, looking towards the door, "This old warehouse might be on its final hours." He heard the wind blowing into the sides of the building, "I say this is the perfect time for an exit."

"What about them?" asked one of the men with a gun.

"Leave them; by the time any officers arrive for them we'll be long gone. If we're lucky, the warehouse will collapse and we won't have to deal with them anymore." He leaned over Takagi again, "This isn't over. You should know by now that no one in this organization betrays and lives. And so you know I'm not playing any games with you…." He quickly swung the bat into Takagi's skull; the impact sending his head into the pole. "If you survive the storm...," he began menacingly, "...We'll meet again." He and his cronies all dashed from the room, leaving the two detectives alone.

"Takagi-kun? Are you alright?" Satou asked, trying to break out of her restraints.

"I think so."

The building shook again, and they could hear the winds picking up even more from outside. They could hear a crash from somewhere else in the warehouse.

"Satou-san, I think the warehouse might be closer to caving in than Toshiro thought. If I remember correctly, there was once a fire in one of the mechanical rooms on the first floor. I don't know how well supported the rest of the place is because of that."

"Collapsing or not, we need something to break us off of this pole. Takagi-kun, can you reach those pliers on that table over there?"

"Not sitting down, at least," said Takagi. Gripping the pole for support, he heaved himself up and stretched toward the nearby table. "It's still too far away!"

Satou stood up as well and watched him worriedly, "Are you sure you're alright? Toshiro hit you rather hard."

He shrugged it off, "I'm fine."

The winds began howling at a much greater force this time. "And I thought this day couldn't get any worse," Takagi muttered. The building shook again, this time jolting the pliers onto the floor – thankfully within reach. Twisting around, he freed Satou from her handcuffs, but as he turned to free himself, the building violently shook again. Satou lost her balance and hit her head on the table as she fell.

"Satou-san? Satou-san!"

The building jerked a second time, and with this shake, there was another crash elsewhere inside. As it shook, Takagi was jolted backwards (as far as the handcuffs allowed) and the pliers slid out of sight. The area of his head that Toshiro had struck hit the wall hard and he slid down to the floor….

…Satou opened her eyes and sat up slowly; her head was rather sore. When she looked around, she saw that most of the room had collapsed around her and Takagi.

"Takagi-kun?" She looked towards the pole they had been chained to. He was nowhere to be seen, but there was a pile of debris obstructing her view. Slowly and carefully, Satou made her way over and found her partner unconscious and still stuck. _The pliers, where did they go? _Takagi began to stir as she cut him loose. "Are you alright, Takagi-kun?"

"I think so," he nodded, rubbing his head, "And what about you?"

Satou shrugged, "I'm not hurt, and I think the storm has stopped, at least for now. We should try and find our way out of this mess and contact Megure-keibu. They can track Toshiro from our phones since his men took them."

Takagi looked around, "If this is what the inside of this place looks like, I don't want to see the outside…" The two stumbled around until they were able to find the door they came in through. Slipping under a fallen beam, they made their way outside and looked around.

Satou's car was nowhere to be seen, as well as any other building in the vicinity. Instead of their normal surroundings, there was a red brick path which led into one of yellow bricks. Flower patches were all around as well as small colorful buildings. No cars, paved roads, or even people were in sight.

Takagi looked at his partner, confused, "Eh, Satou-san, I have a feeling we're not in Tokyo anymore…."

* * *

This first chapter went through _soo_ many edits, I hope it made sense. If any of this is confusing, let me know! In the meantime, anyone want to take a stab on who might show up as whom later on?

An added disclaimer, I don't own any of the Wizard of Oz themes to come either. I'm just warping it around for fun!

The "review" button likes to be poked, so if you'd like, feel free to send your questions, comments, and complaints its way!


	2. Bubbles and Brains

Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan. It belongs to Gosho Aoyama. I also don't own the Wizard of Oz themes that occur. I just like warping it with Detective Conan for some fun and a few laughs. I do own the crime group I created for this story back in Chapter One. I tried being as original with those names as possible, but the thirty trillion different suspects that have passed through the manga from case to case is quite hard to keep track of, so any identical names to existing characters is purely coincidental.

* * *

Chapter 2: Bubbles and Brains

"Eh, Satou-san, I have a feeling we're not in Tokyo anymore."

"I think you're right, Takagi-kun, but where are we?" She looked back at the building they exited. No longer was it the crumbling old warehouse, but a small cottage. "Eh, weren't we in a warehouse?"

Takagi turned to look behind him and his eyes widened, "What the – what's going on here? First the warehouse collapses then we get out and find ourselves in this rainbowy village and now the warehouse we just got out of isn't a warehouse at all!" He sat on a boulder next to the house, "I'm so confused." He sighed, and then something caught his eye, "And just to make this day _even_ better, it looks like there's pink bubble coming towards us!"

Satou stepped back next to her partner as the bubble grew bigger and bigger until it finally popped, revealing a woman in a _very_ sparkly and _very _pink dress, with an equally sparkly wand and hat.

Satou tried not to stare, but this woman looked exactly like her! She looked at Takagi and saw he was doing double takes glancing first at the lady in pink, to Satou, and back at the woman again.

"Are you a good witch, or a bad witch?" the lady asked.

"Me?" Satou asked, taken back. That definately wasn't exactly something she expected to be asked. The look-a-like nodded. "I'm not a witch; I'm Satou Miwako from Tokyo's Metropolitan Police."

"Oh," the lady nodded understandingly, "So is he the witch?" She pointed her wand at Takagi.

"No, I'm Takagi Wataru, also from the Metropolitan Police. Satou-san and I are both detectives."

"Why do you think we're witches?" Satou asked.

"Well, you seem to have arrived in Munchkinland," said the lady calmly, "The Munchkins called for me because they claim a witch dropped a house on the Wicked Witch of the East. And here you are, and here's the house, and under there is the Wicked Witch of the East. So the Munchkins want to know are you a good witch or a bad witch?"

The two homicide detectives looked down and saw two legs in striped stockings poking out from underneath the house. On her dead feet were sparkling ruby slippers. Takagi turned back to the lady in pink, "This was an accident! We never meant for this to happen – we don't even know where the house came from! But we're not witches. Witches don't exist; they belong in children's stories."

To aid his and Satou's confusion, there was mass giggling from somewhere nearby and the woman was smiling.

"What's so funny?" Satou asked.

"This Tokyo you come from must not have witches," said the woman, "But this isn't Tokyo. The Munchkins are laughing because I _am _a witch! I'm Kobayashi Sumiko, or Kobayashi-sensei to the Munchkins. I'm the Good Witch of the North. By dropping this house on the Wicked Witch of the East, you have saved them from long years of suffering, and for that, they are eternally grateful." She turned to the flower patches, "It's alright now, and you can all come out and play!" To Takagi and Satou's amazement, very little people came running out of the flower patches, singing and dancing. They started parading about the brick roads. A carriage stopped next to Kobayashi and the conductor gestured to the two detectives.

"Come on," he said excitedly, "I'll take you to see the mayor!"

Once they climbed aboard, some Munchkins ran forward. The first handed Satou a basket full of flowers, "For you, for saving us from the Wicked Witch!"

"Oh - uh, thank you," Satou smiled, placing it on her lap. Normally she wouldn't approve of celebrating over someone's death, but this wasn't any place she's been to or even heard of before and didn't want to upset the people in their celebration and very different customs.

From the other side, a rather pudgy munchkin handed an enormous lollipop to Takagi. "From the Lollipop Guild," he said, "We are in your debt!"

The carriage led them to a magnificent building where a munchkin, presumably the mayor, stood in a blue suit and oversized glasses. He happily shook both of their hands as they exited the carriage. "Welcome to Munchkinland! I'm Edogawa Conan, the mayor. You've saved us from years of tyranny, and now generations after us will be able to live long and peaceful lives! There will be busts of you in our Hall of Fame!"

"Wait!" said the mayor's aide. He was a tall munchkin with a freckled face. "We have to make sure she's dead in every possible way!"

Conan nodded, "You're right. Once Haibara finishes examining the body, we'll know for sure."

A female munchkin with short reddish hair came up the steps, "I've finished examining her," she said, "The witch is dead."

"Physically dead?" asked the mayor's aide.

The munchkin called Haibara, which Satou could only assume was the coroner, raised an eyebrow, "She had a _house _dropped on her."

"What about spiritually, morally and ethically?" asked Conan, "You know, covering the bases!"

Haibara rolled her eyes, "Oh please, Edogawa-kun. Dead is dead."

"Then let the joyous news be spread, for the Wicked Witch at last is dead!" said Kobayashi.

The dancing and parading began all over again. In hopes they wouldn't get trampled by overly cheery little people, Satou and Takagi joined Kobayashi the Good Witch in the center of town. The group of girls that gave Satou her flowers was singing on the steps of the mayor's office. The Lollipop Guild was prancing in between the Munchkin guards, who were also parading about in a very un-military style.

A group of Munchkins began singing and dancing around where the house was dropped when there was a large smoke explosion in the middle of town. As if on cue, all of the Munchkins dropped to the ground and shielded their faces. When the smoke cleared, a woman dressed entirely in black appeared. She was holding a rather long broomstick. The woman looked around at all of the Munchkins cowering on the ground. "Awful lot of midgets out today. What nonsense have you put in their heads, Kobayashi?" She looked around again and this time saw the house and the legs sticking out from under it. She stood there for a moment gaping before turning back to Kobayashi and the others. "Who killed the Witch of the East? Was it _you_?" she aimed her broomstick menacingly at the two detectives. Any of the Munchkins who felt brave enough to get up dropped back to the ground and began cowering again.

"What happened here was an accident," said Takagi, "We didn't mean to kill anyone!" He paused, "We don't even know how we got inside that house in the first place!"

"Excuses, huh?" The woman turned back towards the house, taking the sight in again.

At the same time, Satou turned to Kobayashi, "Who is this?"

"The Wicked Witch of the East's sister, Aiku Hidemi. She's the Wicked Witch of the West and she's worse than the other one was!"

"So you say this was an accident, huh?" said the Wicked Witch, "Well…" she raised her broomstick menacingly again, "I can cause accidents too!"

Kobayashi smiled innocently, "Don't forget the ruby slippers!"

The witch stopped glaring at Takagi and hurried back over to her sister's body, well, the body's legs, at least. "Of course, the slippers my nitwit sister stole from me!" When she brought out a hand to grab them, they disappeared. "The slippers – they're gone! I know you have something to do with this, Kobayashi," she said angrily, storming back to the center of the city, "Give them back to me or I'll –"

"It seems the slippers found a new home of their own," said Kobayashi, aiming her wand downward, "There they are, and there they'll stay." The four of them followed the wand's aim down to find the ruby slippers glittering in the sunlight…from Satou's feet.

Takagi's eyes widened to the size of saucers, "How did those get there!?"

"Give me the slippers;" said Aiku calmly, "I'm the only one who knows how to use them properly. Give them back. They're of no use to you!"

Kobayashi put her arm around Satou, the wand out in front in a protective stance, "Keep tight inside those shoes," she whispered, but loud enough for Takagi to hear, "She wouldn't want them so much if they weren't powerful. Don't take them off – not even for an instant!"

"You stay out of this, Kobayashi!"

"Hah, you've got no power here!" Kobayashi retorted, "Now get lost before someone drops a barn on you!"

Aiku looked at the sky cautiously, "Very well…I can wait. But just _try _to stay out of my way. I'll get you, my dear, and your handsome friend too!" She turned on the spot and vanished in another explosion of fire and smoke.

Kobayashi sighed, waving the smoke away with her wand, "I'm sorry my dears, but you've made quite an enemy with the Wicked Witch of the West. The sooner you get back to this Tokyo of yours, the better." The Munchkins nodded in agreement.

"But how do we get home?" asked Satou, "We're not even sure how we got here!"

"The only one who would know is the great Wizard of Oz himself," said Kobayashi.

"This is a good guy we're talking about, right?" asked Takagi, "Having two magical beings after us sounds unbearable!"

"He's very good, but very mysterious. He lives in the Emerald City, and that's some ways from here. I see you don't have broomsticks, so you'll have to walk, and that could take two days. The fastest way to get there is to follow the Yellow Brick Road. But don't worry," she said, "The Munchkins will show you safely to the border of Munchkinland!" With that, she returned to her bubble and zoomed out of sight.

"People come and go quite quickly here," said Takagi. Every one of the Munchkins nodded. Conan took Satou's hand and led the two detectives to the first yellow brick.

"Just follow the Yellow Brick Road," he said reassuringly, "Anything you might need can be found there!"

With Conan the mayor in the lead, the villagers followed their visitors down the spirally path until the passed the gates of Munchkinland. "Good-bye!" They called, "Good luck!"

As the two detectives waved good-bye and headed out of sight, one of the Munchkins from the Lollipop Guild looked at the carriage that led Satou and Takagi around Munchkinland. "Aww," he pouted, "Takagi-san forgot his lollipop!"

* * *

"I don't think this Emerald City is anywhere nearby," said Satou.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well for one thing, Kobayashi-sensei said that hiking it there was a two-day journey. Now look straight ahead, Takagi-kun! There are mounds of hills off in the distance, but no city buildings of any kind in sight. And there's something else – the mayor said anything we might need on our journey could be found on the Yellow Brick Road. Well I know something that's not here!"

Takagi looked at her, puzzled, "Like what?"

Satou grinned, "Someplace I can get a soothing bubble bath!" She looked down at her beige-colored suit, stained with the dust and dirt from the warehouse, "I'm a mess!"

Takagi chuckled; his charcoal-colored suit was also pretty dusty, "Yea. I could do with –" He winced, touching where Toshiro had slugged him with the baseball bat. "…An icepack and a warm bed. I'm tired."

Satou stopped, turning to her partner and examining the bump on his head, "It doesn't look too serious. Whatever Kano hit you with in that arson case made a worse mark than what Toshiro did. The blood that flowed out is hidden by your bangs and is all dried up now anyways. If you need to, we'll stop and rest…somewhere."

Takagi nodded, deep in thought, "You know, we were trapped in that old warehouse. How come it was a warehouse when we woke up and moved around, but once we left the place and looked back it became some tiny farmhouse?"

Satou shrugged, "Another mystery, I suppose."

The two rounded another curve and over a hill. "Eh…Satou-san?" Takagi began nervously, "Which way do we go?"

The Yellow Brick Road split off into four very different, very yellow paths. Satou slapped a hand to her forehead, "Well this is great! I hope we don't have to go down _all _of these!" She looked left and right. The only person in sight, other than Takagi, was a scarecrow on a pole in the middle of a cornfield. Each path looked just as promising as the one adjacent to it. "Takagi-kun, which way do you think we should go?"

Takagi sweat-dropped; he had just asked her the same question!

"'Xcuse me," said a voice, "But it's (hic) rather nice down this way!" Both detectives looked around, trying to find the source of the voice.

"Satou-san, did someone talk to us just now?"

"I thought so, but there's no one here but that scarecrow pointing to the left path."

"It's rather nice (hic) down that way too (hic)."

"Satou-san…I thought you said the scarecrow was pointing to the left."

"It was!"

"Then why is it now pointing to the right?"

"Y'know, it's rather nice (hic) (hic) down both o' of those ways too!"

Satou frowned, climbing over the little fence around the cornfield and making her way to the scarecrow, Takagi right behind her. "Now he's pointing both ways. You did say something, didn't you?"

The scarecrow nodded, then shook his head, after a moment he shrugged, and after that came a loud hiccup.

"Are you trying to confuse us on purpose?" asked Takagi.

"Oh no (hic)!" said the scarecrow, "I didn't do it on purpose! It's just that I can't make up my mind. There's nothing up here," he pointed to his head, "Except (hic) straw. The farmer didn't give me a brain!" He frowned, "Um…do you mind helping me get down? This pole is _really _uncomfortable. I think there's some sort of (hic) nail to bend around…something like that." He scratched the sac that made up his head, "At least that's what I think you do."

After a moment's tinkering, the scarecrow fell, tumbling around before rolling to a stop in the middle of the road, laughing all the way. Takagi and Satou hurried after him, picking up the stray straw clumps that might have fallen out of him.

"Did that hurt?" she asked.

"Ah (hic) no, I just pick up what fell out and shove it back in again!"

Satou helped him get up and was able to get a better look at him. He had a short mustache and black straw hair, unlike the yellowish straw that was stuffed into the rest of his body. It was hard to tell exactly how tall he was because he was standing lopsided. "I'm Satou Miwako, and this is my partner in crime, Takagi Wataru-kun. Do you have a name?"

"Mouri, Mouri Kogoro, at your service! You don't look like you're from around these parts. Where are you from?"

"Tokyo," said Takagi, "It's not from around here at all. We're going to see the Wizard of Oz so he can help us get home."

"A wizard?" Kogoro clapped his straw-filled hands together, "Do you mind if I come with you? Maybe he will give me a brain (hic)! I promise I won't be a burden on your travels at all! I don't eat or sleep and I can't think. The worst I can be is entertaining!"

"Maybe you'd better not," said Satou, "There's the Wicked Witch of the West after me to get these ruby slippers. You probably don't want to get involved in our troubles."

"A witch, huh? I'm not scared of (hic) a witch! I'm not scared of anything!" He leaned in close to Takagi and whispered, "Except a lighted match!"

"I don't blame you for that, Mouri-san."

"But I'd face (hic) a whole boxful if it meant getting some brains!" said Kogoro jumping up. He hiccupped again and stumbled around before regaining his balance.

"You're not starting out very well," said Satou.

Takagi frowned at the latest of the scarecrow's hiccupping, "Eh…Mouri-san, are you…intoxicated?"

"Not really," said Kogoro, "I can't drink, remember? But when I was stuffed, the farmer was drinking and spilled some crazy drink on me. I haven't found anything this far that can sober me up!"

A dove suddenly flew down and landed on Kogoro's shoulder. "Boo! Go on, get out of here! Shoo!" he said. The bird stayed put for another minute, looking at the detectives and then flying off down one of the paths. "You see? I can't even scare a dove! But I bet with some brains I'll be able to scare off any bird that messes in that cornfield!"

"Well, let's get moving then," said Satou, getting to her feet. She brushed some stray straw bits from her purple blouse, "Mouri-kun, do you know the way to the Emerald City? Takagi-kun and I are a little lost."

"Fear not!" said Kogoro, "I'll get us in the right direction!" He ran towards the right and lost his footing in step; the detectives ran forward catching both of his flailing arms.

"You might have to work on your balance, Mouri-kun," said Takagi.

"Well I've been up on that pole for so long, walking is new (hic) again!" Kogoro looked at his new companions, "To Oz?"

The two detectives looked at each other. Satou smiled; perhaps this journey wouldn't be so bad…

"To Oz!"

* * *

So now it's been revealed who Glinda, the Munchkins, the Wicked Witch, and the Scarecrow have become. More new appearance to show up next time! Feel free to take a guess on who you think might show up as the Tin Man or the Cowardly Lion, as those two will be the next new characters to appear in the upcoming installments.

If you have any questions, comments, or complaints, feel free to leave them with a review, or PM them to me!


	3. Hearts, Courage, and Poppies, oh my!

Disclaimer: See previous chapter.

* * *

Chapter 3: Hearts and Courage and Poppies (oh my!)

The three travelers turned another bend. Kogoro was walking between Satou and Takagi in case of an unexpected spill onto the Yellow Brick Road. Takagi paused suddenly. Satou looked behind to her partner and saw him, eyes closed – perhaps wincing? – holding his head where Toshiro had struck him. "Takagi-kun, what's wrong?" She walked back and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Satou-san, I think I need to lie down for a bit," he said, wincing. He stumbled backwards a step and Satou and Kogoro helped him lean against the nearest tree.

Satou looked through the trees, "It's getting dark, Mouri-kun. You might not need sleep, but we've been walking for a long time, even before meeting you, and Takagi-kun's not well."

"Never fear!" Kogoro saluted, "I will make sure you get an undisturbed – Takagi-kun is ill?" He leaned forward to get a better look at Satou's partner, who had fallen asleep sitting against the tree. "He doesn't look sick to me."

"It's not serious," said Satou, _At least I hope not. _"It's just a little bump on his head; he'll be fine," she yawned, "I could probably use some rest too." She sat down beside Takagi. Leaning her head on his shoulder, within a few minutes she was asleep….

…Satou woke to the sun slipping through the trees and shining on her face. She leaned forward to get the light out of her eyes. The sudden movement got Kogoro's attention and he stopped drawing in the dirt. "Good morning, Satou-kun! Are we ready to continue to the Emerald City?" he asked. He bounced over as she stood up, brushing stray grass strands off of her skirt.

"I'm ready," she yawned, looking beside her where her partner was still dozing. Placing an arm on his shoulder, she gently shook him awake, "Rise and shine, Takagi-kun!"

"Wha'?" Takagi asked groggily, "S-Satou-san?" He looked at her confused. _How did Satou-san get into my apartment? _It took a minute for him to look around and get his bearings straight, but once realization dawned on him, he toppled over, "Satou-san!"

Satou smiled, "Not so much of a morning person, are you, Takagi-kun? How are you feeling, head still hurt?"

Takagi got up, brushed himself off, and rubbed his head, "I feel a bit better. What time is it, anyway?" He shifted his sleeve to get a look at his watch, but it had stopped. "My watch is broken; does yours work, Satou-san?"

She looked at her own and found hers also didn't work. "Nope. Well, Mouri-kun, Takagi-kun, let's go see the Wizard."

Excitedly, Kogoro grabbed each of their arms and tugged them down the Yellow Brick Road, "Come on, this way!"

"Is there any way to get something to eat before we get to the Emerald City?" asked Satou, "Or will we be there soon?"

"Well…" Kogoro began, stopping and scratching his straw hair, "It's not exactly close by…but it's not far either…."

"Mouri-san," Takagi said as he plopped exhaustedly onto a boulder, "Did anyone tell you that you're very fast for a scarecrow?"

Kogoro laughed, "Now if I could only chase the crows as fast as I can run!"

Takagi grinned, and then glanced towards a group of trees. "Satou-san, look over there! There are apple trees across the road!" He jumped off of the rock and towards the nearest tree.

Satou grabbed the basket of flowers Ayumi had given her in Munchkinland, "Takagi-kun, can you reach those up there? We can save some for later."

She reached to the nearest apple and plucked it from the branch, but didn't expect the same branch to snatch the apple right back and then slap her hand afterwards.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing!?"

Satou nursed her hand; the tree gave it a good stinging. "I'm sorry, we were hungry and –" she stared at the tree, her eyes wide, "Did you just _talk_?"

"They were hungry," said all of the trees mockingly. They shook their heads; a few made what seemed like rude branch gestures or crossed their branches disapprovingly.

"Well how would you like it if someone picked something off of you?" asked the lead tree, "How would you feel if someone stole your apples!?"

Kogoro grimaced and shook his head at the trees, "C'mon, you don't want to have _their_ apples." He tugged on Takagi's arm, trying to pull him back towards the Yellow Brick Road.

"Are you saying something about my apples?" thundered the lead tree, leaning menacingly over Satou, Takagi, and Kogoro.

"Oh, no!" Kogoro grinned evilly, "They just don't like those little green worms!" He stuck out his tongue and wiggled his fingers.

"Why you –" The lead tree tried to grab Satou's basket and knock her over the head with it. At the same time, Takagi rushed forward and swung the basket upward into the tree's face. Losing its grip, the two detectives ran backwards to the Yellow Brick Road while the trees attacked in anger with the only weapons at their disposal – the apples.

"Now _this_," Kogoro began, "Is how you get apples in Oz! Help yourselves!" At that moment, an apple hit him square in the face and he rolled down the hill until he landed flat on his back.

Takagi dropped a couple of apples into Satou's basket, and then crossed the road to collect some stray ones. Dropping to his hands and knees, he reached over to grab one when he sat something strange. A metal lump on the ground was near the apples. Upon further inspection, he saw it wasn't just a tin lump, but two tin legs and feet. He looked up and saw an axe held frozen just above his head. With a gasp, the young detective frantically scrambled backwards into a tree stump. "S-Satou-san!"

He got up slowly and stared at what seemed to be a man made out of tin, holding an axe in midswing and completely frozen in motion. He was tall, and poking out from under his cone-shaped tin hat was a tuft of hair, also made of tin, but sculpted into a tuft of curls. Not too far from the axe's path was an oilcan and a pile of wood waiting to be chopped.

"A man made out of tin?" said Satou, looking the man over, "Bizarre…"

"This is quite an interesting adventure," Kogoro smiled, "At it looks like another companion to join in on our quest!" He pointed at the oilcan, "Maybe that'll get him talking and moving again!"

Satou grabbed the oilcan and began loosening the tin man's joints.

"Ah," said the tin man once his mouth was lubricated, "That feels wonderful!" You don't know how good it feels to be able to move.… Oh, my arm, please…ah, thank you! I've held that axe up for ages."

"I could imagine," Takagi muttered, getting to his feet. "How long have you been stuck like this?"

"A very long time. It was so long ago when I was chopping that tree when all of a sudden it began to rain, and then I rusted solid! I've been that way ever since, until just now when you woke me up. I want you to know that I'm eternally grateful for what you've done!"

Satou finished loosening his ankles, "Well, you're perfectly alright now."

"Perfect, huh?" the tin man sighed, "Far from it. Bang on my chest if you think I'm perfect."

Satou hesitated a moment, then knocked on the tin man's chest. The noise echoed for a few seconds.

"Amazing!" Kogoro gasped, "That's some echo you've got there!"

The tin man sighed again, "I'm hollow inside. The tinsman didn't give me a heart!"

Satou looked at her partner in shock, "You don't have a heart!?" The tin man sadly shook his head. "Well maybe we can help you! I'm Satou Miwako and this is Takagi Wataru-kun and Mouri Kogoro-kun. We're going to the Emerald City to find a way home…and to get Mouri-kun a brain."

"Maybe the Wizard can give you a heart if you come with us," said Takagi, "You have nothing to lose by coming along."

"You're right!" the tin man nodded, "I've got nothing to lose! Let's go – wait! Do you really think the Wizard will give me one? I don't want to get my hopes up for nothing…."

"I'm sure he will," said Satou, "We've come such a long way already and –"

"_Long_!?" called a mocking voice. Everyone turned behind them to see the witch standing on the roof of an abandoned home. "You call that long, why you've just begun!" She then softened her features and smiled as sweetly as her green skin would allow, "However, if you give me those slippers now, I could get you home in an instant!" She held out her hand, "All you have to do is take them off."

Satou looked down at the glittering shoes, "Absolutely not!"

"You'll wished you'd reconsider by the time I'm through with you –"

"No!" Takagi pushed forward and stood in front of Satou protectively, "You'll have to go through me to Satou-san!" He was surprised for a moment to see the tin man also step in front, next to him with his axe at the ready, but then shrugged it off.

"That can easily be arranged," the witch grinned, "And you two – helping them along, huh? _Well don't_. I'll turn you into a beehive!" She then looked from the tin man to the scarecrow, "And I'll stuff a mattress with you, scarecrow! Consider this your last warning. Leave those shoes and turn back or you will be very, _very_, sorry!" With her threat hanging in the air, she disappeared in a smoky explosion.

"Stuff a mattress with me, huh?" Kogoro scoffed, "I'm even more determined to see the Wizard now!"

"Me too," said the tin man, "I'll see you get to the Wizard, whether I get a heart of not. Beehive, ha! Just _try_ to make a beehive out of me, I dare you!"

"That's not the sort of dare I would want to be followed up on," said Takagi, "By the way, do you have a name?"

"Oh, yes!" said the tin man, "I should have said something earlier. I'm Shiratori Ninzaburo." He grabbed his oilcan, "So what are we waiting for? Let's go find the Wizard!"

As the four of them began once again down the Yellow Brick Road, a small white dove flew overhead, landing high in a tree, watching the two detectives and their new friends.

* * *

The next bend around the road led into a rather dark forest. While it was the middle of the day, only half of the sun's light was able to sneak between the trees.

"This is kind of a creepy forest," said Satou, "Way too dark for the middle of the day."

"Do you think there are man-eating animals in there?" Kogoro asked, looking around frantically.

"There's always the possibility," said Takagi.

Kogoro looked around again and then whispered, "What about…straw-eating animals?"

"I don't think there's such a thing, Mouri-kun," said Satou.

Shiratori gripped his axe tightly, "No animal's getting us, at least not while I'm around."

"What kind of animals do you think are in here?" Satou asked.

"I'd say lions, tigers, and bears," said Shiratori.

"Lions?" said Kogoro.

"And tigers?" said Takagi.

"And bears," said Shiratori.

"Oh my," said Satou.

There was a loud roar from deep off in the forest and the four scrambled backwards. Kogoro then lost his footing and fell against a tree. The slight shake from impact caused a large black bird to fly out from the tree and to an adjacent branch, watching the group below intently.

A lion jumped out from the near brush. It growled at Satou and the others and started to advance. While he was probably truly capable of doing injury to someone, he was also trembling in fear.

The lion seemed very hesitant to attack. He looked in Satou's direction, and then bounded towards her; he leapt into the air towards his intended target, but something rushed out in front of him and he ended up tackling something much larger than what he had wanted.

Meanwhile, before he knew just what he was doing, Takagi found himself pinned under a lion that looked hungry enough to eat him. He struggled against the lion and was finally able to throw him off. Takagi quickly got to his feet and saw that the lion was sitting up…and crying?

"I-I…eh…didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked, "It was just self-defense."

"I wasn't trying to hurt you or anything," the lion sniffled, "I couldn't hurt a fly! I haven't got the courage!"

"No courage?" Shiratori asked, "How is that possible – you're a lion!"

"It's very possible," the lion said, "Look at the circles under my eyes – I haven't slept in weeks!"

"Try counting sheep," Kogoro suggested, "That's what I'd do…if I needed sleep, that is."

"I can't!" the lion wailed, "I'm afraid of them!"

"Why did you run at Satou-san?" Takagi asked, "You _did _say you weren't trying to harm us, so what were you doing?"

The lion sheepishly twisted his tail around in his paws, "Well, to tell you the truth, I wasn't after your friend – just the apples – I was awfully hungry, but you kind of got in the way and I hit you instead of the apple basket, so eh…sorry about that."

Satou raised an eyebrow, "Why didn't you just ask?"

The lion sighed, "It all comes down to my lack of courage…and a never-ending appetite, but mostly the courage."

Kogoro then whispered something to Satou. "Why don't you come with us to the Emerald City to see the Wizard of Oz? Takagi-kun and I are going there to find a way back to Tokyo…and to get Mouri-kun a brain and Shiratori-kun a heart."

"You're going to see a wizard?" said the lion, amazed, "Wow…but…," he frowned, "I don't know if I'd have the stamina to ask for some courage. Suppose he won't give me some because I'm the biggest wimp in the jungle…and probably all of Oz!"

"I'm sure he'll help you out in some way," said Shiratori, "If we must, we'll ask the Wizard to give you some courage for you!"

The lion gasped, "You'd do that…for me? After I almost took a bit out of your friend?"

Satou nodded, "Come with us. Even if the Wizard doesn't help you, you wouldn't be any worse off than you are right now."

"You should know, however, that there is a witch after us," said Takagi, "We don't want to put you in any unnecessary danger."

The lion gulped, "A witch? Why is a witch after you?"

"She wants these slippers," said Satou, pointing to her shoes, "Kobayashi-san gave them to me to keep the witch from getting them."

"Well I don't want the witch to get me," said the lion, "but you've all been so nice to me after I scared you. Now I want to help you. I'll come with you to the Emerald City." He looked at Satou, smiling sheepishly, "Eh…do you mind if I have an apple or two?" He stared hungrily at the basked hanging on her arm.

"I didn't know lions ate apples," said Kogoro.

"I don't have the courage to hunt other animals, "said the lion, "I'm a disgrace to my kind."

"Well, I'm sure the Wizard will help you," said Satou, "In the meantime, do you have a name I don't want to call you 'lion' for our entire journey."

"You can call me Chiba," said the lion, "And eh…when do we leave for the Emerald City?"

"What are we waiting around here for?" Kogoro cried, "To the Emerald City!"

High in the trees above the travelers sat a raven and a dove. Once Satou and the others turned around the bend and out of sight, the two birds took flight. The dove followed the path of the Yellow Brick Road, while the raven turned a different direction through the trees. Eventually, the raven flew out of the green of the woods and into an even darker forest. The trees here were much taller and most of them were devoid of life. There was a narrow split in the trees that formed a path that led to a stony cliff, and on the other side sat a foreboding castle.

The raven flew higher until it reached the sill of the tallest tower. Going inside, it perched itself on the arm of a high-backed chair in front of a large crystal ball.

The door to the tower opened and the Wicked Witch of the West entered, saw the raven and hurried over to it. "I see you've come back," she said, "Let's see what those fools are up to."

She took some sort of powder and sprinkled it over the crystal ball. Almost instantly, Satou and Takagi's encounter with Chiba the lion was replayed in the crystal ball before the witch's eyes.

"So they ignored my warnings and my offer and are _still_ on their way to the Emerald City. If they get a hold of the Wizard, I'll never get those slippers."

The witch looked around for a moment, then grabbed a bowl from the nearest table, "Well, I'll just have to get them to a grinding halt before they reach the city, that's all!" She grabbed an odd-looking instrument and began mixing several powders together, "Let's see now…there's an empty field just before the city gates. I'll stop them there. Once she's out of the way, I'll take back those slippers. A sleeping poison should do it," she thought aloud, "Yes…poison…soothing to the smell, and attractive in sight…."

* * *

"I think we're almost out of the woods," Shiratori smiled, "Look at how much light is up ahead!" He pointed with his ace around the nearest bend in the Yellow Brick Road where the stones disappeared under a vast field of colorful flowers. On the other side was a small stretch of road that led to the large green gates. "It's the Emerald City! We've made it!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Chiba said excitedly, "Let's hurry!"

"Yes, let's run!" said Kogoro, plowing ahead of the others.

"We're almost there, Takagi-kun," Satou smiled, "We're on our way home." They hurried after their three companions who were all way ahead in the lead.

Kogoro made it halfway through the flower field when he noticed that everyone was still a ways behind him and stopped to let them catch up. Shiratori arrived next, followed by Chiba, who yawned loudly.

Shiratori looked around, "I think we lost the rest of our group…."

"No," said Chiba, pointing down the hill and releasing another yawn, "There they are!"

"Did anyone ever tell you guys that you're a lot faster than you look?" Takagi asked as he heaved his way over to them, "Especially you, Mouri-san!"

"We've must've run farther than I thought," Satou yawned, "I'm so sleepy!"

"Look, we're almost there," said Kogoro, "Only a little farther."

"No, I need to rest a minute," Satou said, shaking her head, trying to stay awake, "Otherwise, I don't think I'd be able to walk any further."

"Now that you mention it," Chiba began, "Sleep sounds good. I haven't slept in weeks!" With that, he dropped to the ground and was snoring away within seconds.

"Don't sleep now, we're so close, we'll pull you along," said Shiratori, "Besides, there's probably some place to rest once we get into the Emerald City!"

"No, I think resting here for a few minutes isn't too bad," Takagi yawned, steadying himself. He caught Satou as she fell, but no sooner had placed her down in the flower bed did the overwhelming need for sleep overcome him and he collapsed next to his partner.

* * *

So now it's been revealed who the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion have become. More new appearance to show up next time! Feel free to take a guess on who you think might show up as…well, whoever's left! I suppose the only main character left is the Wizard, but you never know who might make a cameo appearance….

If you have any questions, comments, or complaints, feel free to leave them with a review, or PM them to me!


	4. The Emerald City

Disclaimer: See previous chapter.

* * *

Chapter 4: The Emerald City

"We're the only ones left," said Kogoro to Shiratori, "Why are we the only ones not asleep?" he looked at the lion snoring away next to him, "I don't know what to do."

Shiratori sighed, "Maybe we can carry them to the Emerald City."

Kogoro nodded. "Good plan." He tugged on Satou's arm and gasped, "She's not moving an inch, as if she was stuck to the ground!"

Shiratori tried the same with Takagi, and then sighed, "This must be the witch's doing! She's gonna kill us and steal the ruby slippers! What do we do?!"

"There's nothing we can do but call for help!" cried Kogoro.

"Help! Help!" Shiratori cried, "Someone help us!"

Kogoro slapped a hand to his head, "There's no use screaming if no one will hear you!" He dropped Satou's arm back down and shook his fists, "Help! Someone help!"

Shiratori sweatdopped.

"We need to find a way to wake them up," said Kogoro, "Tugging isn't working and they're out cold."

"What if we both tried picking them up instead of one each," Shiratori suggested, "Or maybe we could go get help in the Emerald City."

Kogoro walked up to the lion, "Chiba-kun will be the hardest to move. Let's see if we can budge him." They tried, but to little success. "Maybe we _should_ try to get help from the city; otherwise I don't know what to do."

"Going to the Emerald City now would actually be a bad idea," said Shiratori, "If we leave Satou-kun and Takagi-kun here alone, there's no telling what the witch would do to them while we would be gone."

Kogoro was unsure what to do since Shiratori was right. They couldn't move any of them on their own, but leaving them would be too risky.

Shiratori looked up, "How strange. The sun is out, and there are no clouds in the sky…yet it is snowing."

"Great!" Kogoro cried, "What good would snow do us at a time like this?" He looked over at his tin companion to find him quickly rusting. "Oh, double great. Now it's just me in this snowstorm. What the heck am I supposed to do now?" He sat down next to Shiratori, "It's not like this snow is helping at all….."

He glanced at Chiba snoring and saw that he beginning to stir. "It _is _helping!"

Chiba sat up and yawned loudly, "Well, _that_ was refreshing!"

Takagi and Satou began waking up once the snow stopped, "W-what just happened?" she asked.

"We were running through the flowers and all of a sudden you guys fell asleep and Shiratori rusted over. Then it began snowing and it woke you up. Everything's alright now."

"Not yet it isn't," said Takagi. He grabbed the oilcan from the apple basket and began loosening Shiratori's joints.

Once his mouth was oiled, he smiled, "Thanks! Are you guys alright? One minute we're running, the next passing out in the flowerbed!"

"We're fine now," said Satou, "But I can only wonder if this was the Witch's doing…."

"What do you mean?" Chiba asked.

Satou pointed down at the flowers, "Look there. While we were on the Yellow Brick Road, these flowers were in the path. But the road continues over there as if the flowers were placed on top. Who plants flowers on top of a road? It would make more sense to put them around the edges of the road, not on it."

"Maybe…" Kogoro began, "…maybe…maybe… nevermind, I've got nothing."

"The witch probably put the flowers there with some sort of sleeping agent to stop you from getting to the Emerald City," said Shiratori, "Maybe while we were asleep she was going to try and take the ruby slippers, but didn't count on Kogoro and myself not falling under the spell."

"Well, she's not getting her hands on the shoes," said Takagi, "That's for certain. The only thing to do now is see the Wizard and get ourselves home before anything else happens." He pointed down the flower field, "If the snow woke us, then it must also negate anything else the flowers could do to us. The Emerald City isn't too far away; we could probably make it there before the sun goes down."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Kogoro cried, "I could only be moments away from getting a brain!" He grabbed Chiba and Takagi by their arms…or paws…and bolted for the Yellow Brick Road.

From the trees, another black bird flew in the direction of the Witch's castle. He flew into the open window and perched on the top of a high-backed chair in front of the large crystal ball.

"You're back not too, hmm?" said the Witch, waving her arms over the crystal ball. Images of Satou hurrying along with the others to the city gates came into view. "_Someone_ keeps helping them along…probably Kobayashi."

She scowled and looked out the window. "…Then again, knowing the people of Oz, those weary travelers won't get in to see the Wizard until at least tomorrow. By that time, I could probably slow them down even more – perhaps stop them for good! It will have to be tonight though. Toshiro!"

A tall man dressed entirely in black with large grey wings stepped out of the shadows, "You called?" He climbed onto the windowsill.

"It seems our friends will be in the Emerald City tonight. Slow them down from meeting the Wizard. I don't care how, but make sure those ruby slippers are unharmed."

Toshiro nodded, spread out his wings, and took off east.

* * *

"Looks like the only way to get into the city is to ring the bell," said Chiba, "…so who wants to do it?"

Satou stepped forward and gave the long rope a good yank. A little circular door appeared high above a large knocker.

A man with a round face and mustache poked his head out of the opening. "Who rang that bell!?" he scowled at them, "Don't you know you're supposed to knock?"

The group exchanged glances, "We are?" Takagi asked.

The man nodded, "Procedures. No entry without the knock." He went back inside and slammed the little door shut.

"That was weird," said Chiba.

"Weird or not, it's the only way to get in so…." Satou took hold of the knocker and whacked it hard against the door.

The little door opened again and the man brought his head out again, "Well, that's more like it! I'm Megure Juzo. What can I do for you?"

"We'd like to see the Wizard," said Satou.

Megure nearly fell out of the window, "The Wizard!? You want to see the Wizard? No one can see the great Oz! No one!"

Kogoro frowned, "Why not?"

"Y-you just can't," said Megure lamely, "No one can see the great Oz. I've never even seen him!"

"Then how do you know there is one?" Shiratori asked.

"Well…eh…you're wasting my time!" He turned to go back inside.

"Wait, please!" Satou pleaded, "We really need to see the Wizard. Kobayashi-san sent us here. It's our only way to get home!"

Megure narrowed his eyes, "Prove it then!"

"She's wearing the ruby slippers that Kobayashi-san gave her!"

Megure looked down, "Oh, well so she is…well, that changes everything! Welcome to the Emerald City!" He closed the little door and swung open the large doors for them to enter.

Everything in the Emerald City was a magnificent shade of green, from the cobblestone streets to the buildings and even…a horse?

Satou gasped, watching the animal change from very green to very purple, and then to something between violet and pink.

"Hey – you comin' or what?" asked a deep voice. It brought her out of her trance to see a carriage driver waving at her. He was a rather large man with a long scar across the left side of his head, and over his eye. The carriage was driven by the strange horse.

"Oh, sorry," she said, and climbed in, sitting next to Chiba, "What kind of horse is that? I've never seen one like it before!"

"You will never again either," said the man, "This here is a 'horse of a different color'! The only one of its kind."

"Is there any color it hasn't become?" Kogoro asked as the horse turned blue. "It's already been green, purple, green, pink, and white."

"Y'know, I haven't seen it neon yellow yet," said the driver, "But I'm sure he could if he wanted! Now where can I take you folks?"

"We want to see the Wizard," said Satou.

"The Wizard?" the doorman cried, "Well…eh…sure, I'll take you to see the Wizard…but your buddy over there doesn't look so well. I'll take you someplace first where you can get cleaned up. Come from someplace far away?"

"You can say that," said Takagi, wincing. Every clip-clop the horse made against the emerald cobbles felt like an extra pounding into his skull.

"Well, unfortunately, the Wizard isn't exactly here," said the driver, "It's very hard to get an audience with him. He travels a lot."

"Where does he go?" Satou asked.

"Well, we don't know exactly," the driver said, "But anyone who gets to see him always gets a time in the morning. It's nearly mid-afternoon now, he's probably gone by now. His doorman would probably shoo you away."

Satou bit her lip, "So we have to wait until tomorrow? Where are we going to stay?"

"Don't worry," said the driver as they rode down the street, "Your journey to this place has not gone unnoticed. There are some people who knew you were coming. The mayor of this city was notified and has provided a place for you all to stay should you get here too late to see the Wizard."

"How nice of him, who is he?" Shiratori asked.

"I'm not sure exactly. I'm horrible with names, but I do know that trying to find him is almost just as hard as the Wizard!" He stopped the carriage in front of a large building. From the rooftop, a dove flew off of the building and down the street.

The interior was almost like a five-star hotel. A young woman came to greet them. She, like every other citizen of the Emerald City was dressed head to toe in green. "You all must be the group the mayor was expecting!"

"How did you know?" Kogoro asked.

The woman smiled, "He told me they were the ones with the ruby slippers, and there they are!" She turned down a nearby hallway, "If you would follow me…."

"What kind of place is this?" Chiba asked, looking around, "It's quite fancy."

"You can say that the Emerald City is the main city of Oz," said the woman, "So travelers such as yourselves come in all shapes, sizes, and forms to visit and seek an audience with the wonderful Wizard. So, to accommodate everyone, our first floor is dedicated to meeting needs of mostly non-human visitors. The second floor and up are hotel rooms."

A man poked his head out of a doorway, "We can take you in here," he said to Kogoro.

"Me?" Kogoro asked.

"Yep, we're gonna give you all new straw and patch up any holes you've got. You'll feel like you were just stuffed for the first time all over again!"

"Oh, _yes_!" Kogoro cheered, running into the room, "New straw and a new brain, all in one trip!" He jumped (with some difficulty) onto the table, "So what do I do?"

The two men in the room grinned, "Wow, you're an eager one! Just lay down and we'll take care of the rest. All you have to do is relax."

…Meanwhile in the next room over, Shiratori was being helped onto a large metal platform. "We're going to polish you up and get all these dents and rusts out of you," said the worker, "Pretty soon, you'll shine brighter than the ruby slippers and you'll be working better than new! …By the way, where's the oilcan? We want to refill it for you."

"Oh, I think Satou-san has it," said Shiratori. "It should be in the apple basket." He sighed happily as one worker went to retrieve the can while the other lowered the polisher from the ceiling.

There was a loud yelp across the hall and Shiratori jerked his head up, "What in the world was that!?"

"Sounded like it was across the hall," said the worker, "I think your furry friend is getting his claws cut or something…"

"Watch those things," Chiba cried, "Almost clipped my paw!"

"I'm so sorry!" the girl holding claw trimmers cried, "My hand slipped."

"You're a rather tame lion," said another girl brushing knots out of his mane.

"I'm a coward," Chiba said sadly, "A coward and all-around wimp!"

The girl holding the claw trimmers gasped, "You're not a coward! You decided to come all this way with people you don't even know just so you can keep them safe, didn't you? It sounds like a brave thing to me." The other girl nodded.

"You really think so?" Chiba asked.

Both girls nodded.

"Aw shucks, I'm speechless."

The girl holding the comb smiled, "Well, we got all of the knots out of your mane and fixed those terribly uneven claws of yours. Anything else you'd like us to do?"

Chiba thought for a moment and then his stomach gave a loud rumble. He smiled sheepishly as the girls giggled, "Once your friends finish up we'll get you all something to eat. After such a long journey. You guys must be starving!"

Chiba thought back to the apples he had earlier that morning, "Yea, I'm hungry. Bring on the food!"

"If you follow me," said the claw trimmer girl, "I'll take you to the lounge. You can meet up with your friends there." She leaned in, "I also heard the mayor arrived here a few minutes ago! He normally doesn't come out of his office to greet travelers unless it's _very _important!"

"Why?" Chiba asked.

"Besides being the mayor, he is a master detective who helps out the Emerald City Police. There have been a lot of thefts recently, and sometimes a murder. But finding a murder here is even rarer than meeting the Wizard face-to-face!"

The other girl nodded, "It's very strange considering that he has been mostly helping out on theft cases when he specializes in solving murders and trying to catch that particular jewel thief!"

"Has anyone ever met the Wizard up close?" Chiba asked.

"Only the mayor. Apparently the two don't get along at all. The odd thing is that the two only meet at night when the Wizard's aides close the doors to everyone else."

"Hmm…," said Satou as she joined them in the hall, "That sounds suspicious. Why meet at night, alone, if they don't like each other?"

The girls led them back to the main room where Shiratori and Kogoro were already waiting for them. "The Wizard never agrees to meet with the mayor directly. It's usually by chance – or so I've heard."

"But while the Wizard's visiting hours are open," Shiratori began, "How many people get to see him?"

"No one, usually. Those who can get into the hall for their problems end up dealing with one of the assistants on his behalf."

"I'm beginning to think that us meeting the Wizard is going to be very, very slim," Kogoro said sadly.

"No," said a voice, "You'll meet the Wizard, I can guarantee it."

Everyone turned to see a young man, perhaps not a day over seventeen with blond hair and a surprising navy suit descend the main steps and walk towards them.

"If you don't mind me asking, who are you?" said Shiratori.

"I'm the mayor of the Emerald City, my name's Hakuba Saguru. Believe me; you will have no problem getting in to see the Wizard. Those ruby slippers are pretty much exclusive status to most areas around here." He then frowned, "Which brings me to why I'm here today instead of in my office or on a case."

"Is something wrong?" Shiratori asked. Chiba's expression suddenly changed from relaxed to absolute nervousness.

"I'm sure you are already aware, but the Witch has a very high interest in those ruby slippers. What you may not have been aware of, is that you've been followed by her minions."

Satou gasped, "What!? How do you know?"

"As you arrived today, some citizens noticed a large winged…something…land on the roof of this building. The only winged creatures in Oz that aren't birds are part of the Witch's group. As far as I know, it's still up there."

"What do you want us to do?" Chiba asked.

"There's a chance that the creature might make a move for the ruby slippers. While the Wizard won't take visitors until tomorrow morning, I think it be best if you don't leave this hotel tonight. I have guards around the exits as well as the roof, but I must ask you to leave the windows shut and locked, for your own protection."

"What are we supposed to do then, if we can't leave?" Shiratori asked.

Hakuba sighed, "I wish I could say that there were plenty of things to do while you wait… without the current circumstances I would give you all passes to see Wizemania down at the theater, but perhaps a good night's sleep is the best thing. Ozians line up to see the Wizard early, and while your slippers may up your shot at seeing him, you still have to survive the lines. Plus, with who knows how many minions of the Witch around, it's best you stay outside as little as possible. The Wizard opens his hall around nine, and the lines start usually an hour before."

Chiba's stomach gave a loud rumble. His orange whispered face turned a new shade of red. "Eh, sorry," he said, embarrassed.

Hakuba nodded, "It's fine. Dinner will be sent to you."

Satou frowned and looked about the open room, "Where's Takagi-kun?"

"If you're referring to the young man who was traveling with you all, he's upstairs resting," said a new voice. The source was a man walking down the center steps with a doctor's bag in hand.

"Ah, this is Dr. Araide," said Hakuba, "One of the workers called him here."

"I was told he was in some sort of accident," said Dr. Araide, "What happened exactly?"

"Takagi-kun and I were locked in a…'house' that somehow fell from the sky and landed on the Witch of the East."

Araide raised an eyebrow, "Interesting….Well this landing managed to give your friend a serious concussion. Were you injured at all?"

"I don't think so," she said.

Araide gave her a quick look-over to confirm she didn't have any immediate injuries. "Make sure to keep an eye on him. If you don't want his condition to worsen before you get back home, don't let him do anything reckless or stupid. I gave him a sedative and he's resting now, but it's best he stay that way." With that, he gathered his bag and left the building.

Hakuba watched the guards perform a check on the doctor as he left. "I was able to reserve the Governor's Suite upstairs for you tonight. I'm sure that's where your friend Takagi is now." He led them up the steps to a set of double doors on the fourth floor, "If you need anything, you can call the lobby by pushing this button here on the wall. I'll have two guards outside here in the hall in case our rooftop friend manages to get inside."

"Thank you," said Satou, "For doing all of this for us."

"It's not a problem," said Hakuba, glancing down at his pocket watch, "But remember, other than hospitality, it's also a safety precaution. You know by now that the Witch is _most_ interested in getting those shoes. If she were to get her hands on them, it would spill danger for all of the lands of Oz. However, the Wizard is also interested in those slippers. If you can get to him safely before the Witch can get a hold of the shoes, you will have helped keep Oz a safer place."

"What do those shoes do, anyways?" Kogoro asked.

"The slippers are said to hold a greater power than the Wizard and the Good Witches combined – in the wrong hands. There are some that claim the shoes' rubies hold magical and destructive properties if mixed with dark magic. One crazy storyteller tried passing some hokey fiction that the shoes could bring on immortality to those who wore them, but it really comes down to which phony nut you listen to. I personally don't believe any of them. But then again, the shoes have been in the Witch of the East's service since creation. Now that the shoes are in someone else's hands…err…feet, we're not sure what they can do."

"What did they do for the Witch of the East?" Satou asked.

"No one is a hundred percent sure, but what we know that they did do is allow her to walk, since she had been disabled from her youth."

* * *

Once clear of the building security, Dr. Araide entered the alley across the way and climbed the outer steps along the side of a building. Once he made it to the roof, he swung over the edge and ran to the side facing in the direction of the Wizard's hall.

"How did it go?" asked someone from the shadows. By this time, the night only made it near impossible to see his face.

"Better than expected, I suppose," said Dr. Araide, "You should have no problem stalling them until late tomorrow for Aiku. If they need to wait yet another day, it will give her the opportunity she needs to take the slippers and finally overthrow the Wizard."

Whoever was hiding seemed to be pleased, "Very well. What other information do you have?"

"What do you want to know?"

"Just talk. I'll deem whether it's important or not."

Araide frowned, "Well, for one thing the lion is the king of cowards. The scarecrow and tin man are the two non-humans to watch for. The tin man could probably deal some damage with his axe, but dump some water on him and he'll rust solid. The scarecrow has little sense of coordination. Remove the stuffing in his legs and he won't bother you."

"Heh. Sounds like fun. What about the other two – the ones she's interested in?"

"When the house fell on Aiku's sister in Munchkinland, it gave Takagi a concussion. Like any other doctor would, I bandaged him up and gave him sedatives to get him through the night. He'll probably be out until sometime in the morning, but everyone reacts to the medication differently. He might wake up in the middle of the night."

The man nodded, "Continue…."

"Satou has the slippers, and I think is more worried for her friend than seeing the Wizard. She doesn't look like a tough one to overcome."

"It doesn't matter," said the man, "I'm not supposed to lay a harmful hand on her. Aiku thinks we'll all be careless with the shoes. It's the others she doesn't necessarily care about as much."

"The east-most room in the Governor's Suite has the window cracked. You can get in there."

The man nodded, spread his wings and took off towards the trees.

* * *

"Ooh, this is a nice place," said Kogoro walking inside, "You must have to be a king to stay here!"

"Not a king, just the governor," said Shiratori.

"I didn't know Oz had a governor," Chiba laughed.

"Don't feel too bad," said Kogoro, "Until now, I didn't even know there was a Wizard living here in the Emerald City!"

Shiratori placed his oilcan and axe on a table, "So is Takagi-kun in here someplace?"

"I thought the doctor said he was sleeping here or something," said Kogoro, "Maybe in that room over there."

"I've been wondering something…" Shiratori began, "How did you guys end up in Oz, and how did Takagi-kun get injured when the house fell and you didn't?"

"It's a long story," said Satou after a minute's silence.

Chiba sat by the window, "We've got all night…."

Satou sighed and sat down on the couch, "Well…alright. You know that Takagi-kun and I aren't from Oz, right?" Collective nod. "We're from Tokyo, which I'm going to assume is quite some way from here. We're both police detectives for the Metro police. At the time, Takagi-kun was undercover for a dangerous criminal organization. Two days ago we happened to catch up to a high-ranking member by chance. We chased him to an old warehouse, but he was ready for us." She stared down at her hands. "Takagi-kun and I were captured by the gang. When they figured out that he was a police officer, they tried to interrogate him for other undercover officers."

Chiba gulped, "What did he say?"

Satou shook her head, "He didn't say anything. Takagi-kun was the only undercover cop we had there, and he wouldn't cooperate with them. To get some sort of answer out of him, they began beating him with a metal bat."

Kogoro's eyes widened, "Then what?"

"Satou glanced towards the doors on the other side of the room, where her partner was resting behind one of them. "It was in the middle of a severe storm. We were in an old warehouse and parts of it were collapsing. The organization fled, but before we could get out, the building shook and I think I hit my head on something. When I came to, we were already here."

"You're lucky to not have gotten seriously injured," said Shiratori.

"Yea…" she said softly, "Lucky me." Getting up, she went into one of the adjoining rooms.

Kogoro frowned, "I think something's upsetting her."

Chiba nodded, clapping a paw against Kogoro's back, "Are you _sure_ you don't already have a brain?"

Satou sat on the edge of the bed and took a look at her partner. A thick bandage was wrapped around his head, which was propped against a few pillows. Judging by the steady rise and fall of his chest, she assumed he was still asleep. From the other room, she could hear Chiba cheering. _I guess someone brought up some food. _She didn't feel hungry.

Satou folded her hands in her lap, "I'm sorry, Takagi-kun," she said softly, "This is my fault." _Of course, he probably isn't hearing a word I'm saying…._ "If I didn't make the call to rush in like we did…we wouldn't be in this place, and probably Toshiro and his men might be caught already."

At that moment a small chill went up her spine. Looking around, she noticed the window coverings were moving slightly. Puzzled, Satou walked over and inspected the window.

"Hmm, it's unlocked." Remembering Hakuba's safety precaution, she slid the window shut and bolted the lock. "That thing on the roof could have come in here if he knew this was open."

Taking another glance at her sleeping partner, she left the room, closing the door behind her. Satou made her way back into the main room, determined to save a little bit of food for Takagi for when he wakes up before Chiba could manage to eat it all.

_Don't worry, Takagi-kun. I got us into this crazy mess, and I'll get us out. Witch or no witch, we'll find a way home._

* * *

That pretty much sums up the cast in this crazy adventure.

Still any doubts on who any of the characters are?

Just as a side note, I had switched the character of the Emerald City Mayor when almost finished writing the chapter. If you find any discrepancies over the name, let me know so I can fix it (already skimmed through twice, but those errors love to be sneaky on me!). Anyone want to take a stab on who he used to be before ending up as the current Detective Conan character?

Until next time, then! If you have any questions, comments, or complaints feel free leave them in a review or PM me!


	5. Audience with Oz

Disclaimer: See previous chapter.

* * *

_His eyes slowly opened to a sea of black. Every bone in his body seemed to ache as he tried to move, but his left arm wouldn't budge. He tried moving his head when what felt like someone dropping a brick on him cursed through his skull. Barely glancing to his side, he noticed someone – someone with a flashlight – coming in his general direction. From the noise they were making, he assumed the stranger was searching in the dark for something, and making quite a mess of it at that. Not that his visibility was good to begin with, he closed his eyes and waited for the stranger to leave. Keeping himself as still as possible, he felt something thin land on his arm well after the blinding light had passed over him. He kept his eyes shut while trying to appear unconscious as he heard the stranger now rummaging around on the other side of the room… _

* * *

Chiba gave a loud yawn as the sun rose the following morning. He looked over at his companions; it looked like Shiratori and Kogoro were sleeping, or attempting to sleep. At the sound of his yawn, Kogoro's eyes snapped open, "Thank you!" he cried, "I tried sleeping like Satou-kun and Takagi-kun do but it's so…so…boring! I don't get why they do it."

"We can't all run nonstop like you can," said Chiba, "What were you guys doing last night, anyways?"

"When you went to sleep, we found a deck of playing cards and tried playing card games. It didn't work out too well so we tried sleeping instead, even though we don't need to."

"Yea, Shiratori-kun had better luck than me," Kogoro grinned sheepishly.

Satou walked into the main room, pulling on her suit jacket as she looked around, "Eh, did any of you notice if Takagi-kun got up last night at all or not?"

Kogoro tapped his chin, thinking back, "I think…maybe he did. I thought I heard someone moving around in that room last night."

"None of us saw him though. If he woke up, he didn't go very far."

Satou poked her head into the other room. Takagi still looked passed out. She returned to the main room and sighed, "If we're going to see the Wizard then we should leave soon, but I'm not sure about leaving Takagi-kun. I don't know if I have the heart to wake him up – this is probably the most rest he's had in five days. But on the other hand, I don't know if I should let him sleep and the rest of us go. I don't want to leave him here alone."

"We'll just wait for him to get up then," said Chiba.

"If we wait too long, we might not get to see the Wizard at all," said Shiratori, "Plus, the longer we wait, the greater the chance the Witch will be able to find us."

"Eh…" Kogoro began, "What is that?" He pointed out the window where something was flying high in the center of the city. From their location it was impossible to know who it was. The flyer was letting loose some sort of smoke screen and flying in such a way that the smoke spelled out letters. They stared out the window and watched words form and when finished, the flyer took off and disappeared behind a building.

" 'Surrender Satou'," Chiba read, "Oh no, it's the Witch!"

"She must have followed us here," said Kogoro, "What do we do?"

"We better hurry if we're going to see the Wizard," said Shiratori, "Look down there."

Below in the streets, citizens began noticing the smoke message. Satou could faintly hear the Ozians crying about the Wizard and running down the street towards his Hall.

"We need to leave now," said Kogoro, "Or by the time we get there it will be too late!"

"But…" Satou began, glancing down the hall.

"You guys go," said Shiratori, "I'll stay here with Takagi-kun. When he wakes up, we'll come and find you."

Satou gasped, "Are you sure?"

Shiratori nodded, "Go. It's imperative you see the Wizard. We'll be fine. I won't let anything happen to him."

Satou bit her lip, then after a moment nodded, "Mouri-kun, Chiba-kun. Let's go."

* * *

"I didn't think so many people lived in Oz!" Kogoro cried, "How are we going to find the Wizard in this crowd?"

"The Wizard doesn't show himself in public, remember?" said Satou as they hurried down the street, "We just need to follow all of these people because the odds are that they're all going to see him too."

The crowd was gathered in front of a large emerald (as if it would be any other color) building. On the top of the steps was a man in a dark green suit. He was tall and had a most peculiar hairstyle. While it was short and smooth along the sides, the top of his head looked like either a bird landed in it…or he had a habit of yanking and pulling on his hair. His colleagues were trying to hold back the crowd.  
"Hey – hey! Back up, there's nothing to see here. The great Oz has everything under control – I hope. There's no need for concern!"

"But what about the message in the sky?" asked an Ozian.

"Who's this 'Satou' that the smoke message talks about?"

"What's the Wizard doing about this? Is this a breach in the city's security?"

The man's eye twitched, "Everything is under control!" he snapped, "Now go home! You're making a scene!"

As the crowd dejectedly began wandering off, Satou, Chiba and Kogoro made their way up the steps, "We'd like to see the Wizard, please," said Satou, "It's important we meet with him right away."

The man raised an eyebrow, "And who might you be?"

"I'm Satou Miwako, and these are my friends Chiba-kun and Mouri Kogoro-kun."

"Who are _you_?" asked Kogoro.

"I'm Nakamori Ginzo, the Wizard's Aide, and chief of the Emerald City law enforcement…and you're the Witch's Satou, aren't you?"

Satou nodded, "It's imperative we meet him!"

"The Wizard isn't seeing anyone today, but I suppose I can inform him of your arrival." He turned and disappeared into the building, leaving Satou, Chiba, and Kogoro on the steps.

"Do you think the Wizard will see us since Nakamori-san went to announce us?" Kogoro asked.

"I hope so," said Chiba, "We've come such a long way and if we don't get help then the Witch will surely come after us."

* * *

Shiratori sat in the front room of the suite, looking at the Ozian crowds below. They were all coming back up the street. _I hope Satou-san got to see the Wizard_. The only people he could see in the crowd were those head-to-toe in green. He got up and checked the oil in the oilcan, "I guess she filled it before she left."

"Filled what?" a sleepy voice yawned. Shiratori turned to see Takagi trudge slowly into the room. He sat on the couch and looked over at the covered platter on the table. "What are these?"

"Someone came here not too long ago and brought those up. I didn't look at it but I think it's some food for you." He looked at the detective critically, "How are you feeling?"

Takagi yawned again and lifted the lid to reveal various pastries. "A bit tired, but otherwise fine." He looked around, "Where are Satou-san and the others?"

"They left a little while ago to see the Wizard," said Shiratori.

"They left?" Takagi asked, "Why didn't you go with them?"

"Well," Shiratori began, "Satou-san didn't want to wake you, but she also didn't want to leave you here alone while you slept. Apparently some of the Witch's minions were in the city last night. She was worried something might happen if you were here alone. You were asleep since yesterday afternoon. The doctor said you had a serious concussion."

"I'm surprised she wouldn't wait though," said Takagi.

"I'm sure they will be back soon," said Shiratori, pointing to the fading message in the sky, "That's what got them out of here so quickly. It seemed everyone in Oz was running to see the Wizard. I think the Witch wrote it, so I volunteered to stay here and watch over you. Just in case something were to happen."

Takagi nodded and pulled a green-frosted pastry from the plate.

* * *

Nakamori came back out, "The Wizard has prepared for you. Follow me, please."

He led them down a long corridor and up to a large set of double doors. "According to the Wizard, all you need to do is walk inside. Apparently, everything has been prepared…whatever that means."

"You don't know?" Satou asked.

"The Wizard has never worked by conventional means," said Nakamori, "He's just as impossible as the retched thief I'm always trying to catch."

"Is that the thief that Mayor Hakuba was talking about?" Chiba asked.

Nakamori nodded, "Being aide to the Wizard is my job as a member of the Emerald City police. I'm chief of the taskforce to catch him, but if he's not out at night causing trouble than I stay here and patrol as guard of this hall." He opened the double doors, "Go inside whenever you're ready."

Satou looked over at Chiba and Kogoro as Nakamori walked back down the hall. "Ready?"

Chiba was clutching his tail as if it was going to fall off, "I-I-I'm ready. Let's go."

They stepped inside the room. They heard someone walk back up the corridor and close the doors behind them.

Satou looked about, "There's no one here!"

"Maybe the Wizard is late?"

"I don't know," Satou frowned. At that moment, there was a strange gunshot sound. Satou turned quickly around, her police reflexes kicking in. She reached into her suit jacket to grab her gun, and then remembered it was taken before she arrived in Oz. Just happening to look up, she noticed a card falling to the floor. Chiba bounced over and picked it up, with Satou and Kogoro peeking over his shoulder to read the contents.

" 'My dear Satou-keiji and company'," Satou read aloud, " 'I have heard of your quest to find a way home, the scarecrow's search of a brain, the tin man's heart, and the lion's courage. Sadly, I see that you have fallen into the feud between me and the Witch of the West. I too have a great interest in the ruby slippers and would be willing to assist you on your endeavors. However, in return, I ask a task of you.'"

"I thought we were coming to him for help," said Kogoro, "why is he asking _us_ for help?"

Chiba shrugged as Satou continued, " 'I will grant all of your requests if you can bring me the broomstick of the Witch of the West.'"

The three looked at each other. Chiba clutched his tail tighter, "But wouldn't we have to kill her to get it?"

" 'If you can bring me her broomstick, you can have all that you ask'," Satou finished. Under the message was a goofy caricature. The card then disappeared in a puff pink smoke.

"I think our wonderful Wizard is sending us on a suicide mission," said Kogoro.

"Well what choice do we have," Satou cried, "If we don't get the Wizard's help, you'll never find your brain, courage, and Shiratori-kun's heart, and Takagi-kun and I will never get home! On the other hand, if we do go, there's always the possibility the Witch will steal the slippers and just kill us. I'd prefer to at least try."

Chiba began biting his nails, "I don't like either of those options…but I want my courage, and witch or no witch, I want to go with you. If I die, I want to be fighting while doing it…and hopefully not running away."

Kogoro jumped up and ran for the door, "Come on, you two! We need to get Takagi-kun and Shiratori-kun and get ourselves to the Witch's Castle! I can almost smell that brain!"

* * *

Takagi moved to the window to get a better look at the message, very faded but still in the sky. Shiratori looked down towards the street, where the main crowds had already dissipated, "Do you want to go out to find the others, or wait here for them to come back?"

"We might as well go look for them," said Takagi, "It's better than waiting here doing nothing."

He moved towards the door when Shiratori suddenly grabbed his arm. He was still looking out the window. "Wait, I see them. They're there, up the road. I guess we don't have to go anywhere after all."

Takagi nodded and sat back down. He grabbed his suit jacket from its spot draped over the back of the couch and put it on. It was when he was fastening the buttons when they heard a dull thud from out in the hallway.

Shiratori looked up, "Did you hear something?"

Takagi looked towards the door. "It came from out in the hall."

"It sounded like the guards Mayor Hakuba put in the hallway are up to something," said Shiratori, "Maybe one of them tripped."

"There are guards in the hallway?" Takagi asked, "When were they put there?"

"I suppose after Dr. Araide put you to sleep," said Shiratori, "The mayor was concerned when one of the Witch's minions was on the roof."

There was a painful cry from outside. Takagi glanced again towards the closed doors, "I'm going to see what's going on out there. Sounds like something's wrong."

He was a moment's reach from the doorknob when he was thrown back as the door burst open….

* * *

"Look, there's the building!" Kogoro cheered.

"I wonder why the Wizard needs the Witch's broom," Chiba thought aloud, "Maybe the broom is actually his!"

"I bet it has magical powers," said Kogoro.

"With this place, you never know," muttered Satou. They walked back into the building and up the steps. "Takagi-kun should be awake by now. We should get moving as soon as possible."

"I hope the ladies downstairs brought up some sort of food," said Chiba as his stomach have a loud moan, "I'm starving."

"You lasted a long time without your stomach talking, Chiba," Kogoro grinned, "Are you ever not hungry, Chiba-kun?"

Chiba thought for a moment, "Nope!"

Satou suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway, "Oh no…something is wrong." She pointed towards the door. The guards Hakuba had placed were no longer there. The door was also wide open. As she edged closer, she noticed something odd on the floor. The ruby slippers were reflecting off of the water spilt all over the tiled floor. _Water! _

"Did someone leave a sink running?" Chiba asked.

Satou rushed inside. _I have a bad feeling about this._ There were four empty buckets lying on the floor. Two of them still had small amounts of water in them. Most of the water on the floor was located in the hallway, but the entire suite had been drenched. Carefully, the three began walking through.

"I…I don't see anyone here," Satou said, not bothering to hide the worry in her voice, "Takagi-kun? Shiratori-kun?" Edging around the corner into the main room, she stopped dead in her tracks. Satou ran into the main room and grabbed the oilcan.

She took in his overall appearance as she began oiling his elbows. Shiratori had rusted while in mid-swing of the axe. Based on his expression, he was in a struggle with someone when he rusted over. His back was against the corner of the hall at the main room.

Kogoro peeked around the corner, and then ran over, "Shiratori-kun, oh no! What happened!"

"Someone rusted him, probably with the empty buckets on the floor, after rushing in here," said Satou, "Were you able to find the guards, or Takagi-kun?"

He and Chiba shook their heads, "I can't find him anywhere!"

Shiratori quickly dropped the axe, "Thank you, Satou-san!"

"Shiratori-kun, what happened here?" Satou asked, "And where is Takagi-kun?"

Shiratori took careful steps to stand on dry floor, "Takagi-kun woke up soon after you had left. He seemed fine and we were talking. He had some food and then we heard something go on out in the hallway. He was on his way to check it out when the door burst open. Four men – none of which were wearing green I might add – burst in. Almost immediately after that I recall being drenched and began rusting solid. I couldn't see what happened to Takagi-kun. So I can only assume whoever it was took him with them when they left."

Satou stared at her feet and dropped to her knees on a dry spot. _I never should have gone…I should have waited, even if it meant waiting longer to see the Wizard._ She felt a tear ready to start falling and pounded her fist to the floor. As quickly as her hand had hit the cool tile, she retracted it, feeling something wet on her skin. _Strange, I thought this spot was dry._ Slowly she turned her palm over to see red.

"Oh my…" Kogoro began, "Is that –"

"Yes," Satou said quietly, "It's blood. The only question is if it is Takagi-kun's, or someone else's?"

She looked about the main room, and her eyes landed on an emerald brick. Satou walked over and picked it up, turning it over in her hands. The side of the brick was stained red. She placed it back on the ground and looked to the others, both tears and righteous determination in her eyes, "Come on. We have a broomstick to get and a detective to rescue."

A dove sitting on the outside sill spread its wings and flew off towards the dark forest in the west.

* * *

There were a lot of edits and rearranging done with this chapter, I hope it all made sense!

As of now, the story has been completely written out and is complete. The only thing standing between updates is the time to type it all out. The story is in two parts. Part one is complete, with 10 chapters to it, and I've just begun writing the second part, but I'm sure that will also be no longer than 10 chapters as well.

As always, feel free to leave reviews and/or PM questions, comments, and/or complaints. See you next time!

(If anyone can guess what Part 2 will be about well before it's actually posted and revealed, cookies and other sweets for you!)


	6. Last Chance

Disclaimer: See previous chapter.

* * *

Chapter 6

The castle in the western side of Oz was not like those in storybooks. It was situated on the top of a steep cliff, surrounded by rocky mountains and hills. Around the castle there used to be a moat, but now all that remained under the drawbridge was nothing but an empty ditch, the water long gone. The structure itself was very compact; very little jetted out along the sides, so the towers were tall and numerous. The tallest one faced eastward, the small window at the top looked out towards the Emerald City.

The dove flew out of the trees and up towards the foreboding castle. It made its way around the high towers before settling on the ledge of the tallest one on the east side. At a sudden just of wind, the bird took off again for a few moments then returned to the ledge and peered through the window. The tower seemed to be empty, until the door on the far side of the room opened, revealing Dr. Araide carrying a bowl and a roll of bandages. He walked over to the high-backed chair in the middle of the room and set the bowl and wrappings on a small table beside a large hourglass.

Araide took a look at the man sleeping and sighed, took a damp cloth from the bowl and began dabbing blood off of the side of his patient's face, "Didn't I just see you _yesterday_?" he muttered, "You're worse than those daredevil kids just outside Munchkinland!" He began unraveling the old bandages around Takagi's head and frowned, "I _did _just treat you last night, didn't I?" _Where are the bruises and abrasions I cleaned last night? _

Despite that his patient was still out cold, he kept on cleaning and talking, "She won't be pleased that you were scuffed up like this. Now I have to re-wrap everything…although it looks like you might have done some skilled bandage work on your own…."

He looked up from re-wrapping Takagi's head as the Witch of the West walked in and stood behind him. She crossed her arms and sighed, "Is he _still _unconscious?"

Araide nodded, "Whoever it was gave him a rather nice lump. He already _had _a serious concussion." _Or at least he did…_ "I thought you told them not to rough him up too badly."

"I did," she snapped, "It seems Ichiro doesn't know how to control himself. For goodness sakes, I don't need him dead – not yet, at least. I need the slippers first, and based on observation, he won't let me near Satou – or he can try not to, at least." She gently took his chin and turned his head from side to side, "When should he be awake?"

Araide shrugged, "Hard to say. If he recovered at least partially from the first injury, then he might wake up soon. But there's really no telling when."

Aiku lifted his bangs back, "And did you just put this bandage here, or was it there before?"

"Both. Satou said he was hit with bat or something over the head before arriving in Munchkinland. I can only assume he was conscious before coming here, otherwise there was no reason for Ichiro to go and knock him out cold."

Aiku sighed again, "Alright, stay here and finish cleaning that blood off of him. Once he's awake, I want to be notified at once." She turned on her heel and stalked out the door, slamming it shut behind her.

Araide turned back to his work. Just as he finished clearing off the last blood blotch did Takagi begin to stir.

"Don't move too much," said Dr. Araide, pushing him back into the chair, "You've got a nasty bump on your head."

Takagi raised a hand to his head and winced. He looked around slowly, eyes half open, "What…what happened?"

"Well," Araide began, "To sum it up, you've been abducted and taken to the Witch's castle. I've been treating you here in one of her towers." He scrutinized Takagi carefully, "How do you feel?"

Takagi went to rub the back of his head, then once he touched the bandage, winced and lowered his hand. "Like I was hit with a sack of bricks." He looked around again, his eyes in more focus this time, "Is Satou-san here?"

"No, you're the only one who made the journey here. Satou-keiji, the scarecrow and the lion went to see the Wizard, and your tin friend was left rusting back in that hotel. I'm sure by now they know you're no longer there."

Takagi frowned; something didn't feel right, "Wait…what about you? Don't tell me the Witch had you come here just to look after me."

Araide scratched the back of his head, "Well, no...not exactly. You could say I partially work for the Wicked Witch."

Takagi scrambled out of the chair and backed away from him. The sudden movement made him grab for the giant crystal ball to keep him steady, "You – you sold us out to her, didn't you? You knew that I was going to be in that room last night and you told her so her followers would know where to go!"

Araide sighed and nodded, "That's pretty much how it went, but please, Takagi-san, if you exert yourself too much you'll collapse. You really should sit down."

Once the dizziness wore off, Takagi crossed his arms and glared at the doctor, "Those 'sedatives' you gave me yesterday afternoon were nothing but strong sleeping pills weren't they? You made sure I was out cold long enough so that Satou-san and the others would leave to see the Wizard. I bet you rigged that smoke message in the sky to make sure they left before I would have woken up so you could kidnap me."

"No!" Araide took a step forward, "Alright, I told Aiku's minions where you were staying, but in no way did I lie about the medication I gave you. Alright, I work behind the scenes for the Witch, but I am an honest doctor. I have you those pills so you would get some much-needed rest. You had – and still have – a serious concussion. It might have put you to sleep by the time Satou and the others arrived there, but they should have worn off well in the night. You probably slept well into the morning on your own. Now that brand new bump on your head isn't helping your situation, so _please_, sit down."

Takagi hesitated, "No tricks?"

Araide put his hands in the air, "No tricks. Now please, let me treat you."

Takagi hesitantly crossed the room again and sat back down, "…You're _sure _Satou-san isn't locked up here somewhere? Or maybe Shiratori-san?"

"No," said a cold voice from the doorway, "They're not here, but it's just a matter of time before they soon will be." She crossed the room and leaned across the back of the high-backed chair, "Awake, are we? Excellent."

"Takagi immediately tensed, "How long am I supposed to be locked up here like a sitting duck?"

"Oh, not too long," said Aiku, "It seems Satou and the others are quicker than I expected in going to find you. They've already entered the forest around the castle." She walked around the room and turned to face Takagi, "But I wouldn't consider you a sitting duck."

"Then what am I?" Takagi asked darkly. He didn't like the way she was smirking at him.

"Of course, you are my assurance that I get the ruby slippers from your friend."**  
**

Takagi made to stand, but Araide pushed him back down, "Satou-san won't let you have them. You won't be able to get those shoes as easily as you were able to get me."

"What gives her the right to decide who get the ruby slippers?" the Witch demanded, "You two are nothing but strangers who happened to cross my path. Kobayashi gave her those slippers to keep them from me, but they weren't even hers to give away." She took a dangerous step towards Takagi, "Thanks to you two so graciously dropping that house on my sister, those slippers are the only thing I have left of her, and now Kobayashi left them in the hands of your friend. They're of no use to you and she doesn't need them. If Satou won't give them back, I'll have to take them."

"What happened to your sister was an accident," Takagi shot back, "We didn't kill anyone."

"Araide, leave us, and call Toshiro and Ichiro," said the Witch. Once the door closed behind him, Aiku leaned in, "It was no accident. It was _your_ house, wasn't it?"

"No, it wasn't!" Takagi snapped, "We've never stepped foot in that house until we arrived here."

"Then explain to me how you got inside then, hmm? How did you walk out of a house you never stepped inside in the first place?"

"I don't know," he shook his head, "From the inside, it was the warehouse Satou-san and I was in while we were in Tokyo."

"Even if that were true, and you didn't mean to drop that house on my sister, Satou purposely isn't giving up the ruby slippers, and I will _not _accept some stranger skipping around Oz in them!" She moved back and went to stand at the window.

"What _is _so special about those shoes anyway? The man at the Emerald City gate let us in immediately when he saw them."

"_That_ is none of your business," she snapped, as her two winged henchmen came inside, "The only thing that matters now is that the slippers are on their way here. Come see."

Takagi very hesitantly walked over to the window, keeping as much of a distance from the witch as possible. He looked out the tower to see flocks of winged men heading into the trees.

"I've been monitoring your journey long enough to know that you would protect her at all costs, even if it meant that you might get injured – or worse – doing it," she smirked at him.

Takagi took a step back, "What are you –"

"I can probably assume that she would do the same for you," Aiku continued, "And your usefulness to me is slowly nearing its end."

"Killing me won't get you your ruby slippers."

"I know that she feels guilty about leaving you behind, and with that in mind, I doubt she'll refuse to hand them over."

"And what if she doesn't?"

"You are my assurance I get the slippers," Aiku repeated. She raised a hand and stroked his cheek. As he jerked out of her grasp, she said coldly, "If Satou refuses to cooperate with me, then you _will _wish that Ichiro has struck you dead with that brick."

* * *

The trees in the forest were packed so tightly together, there was no distinct path in between them and unless you had just entered the area, it was hard to tell whether it was day or night. There was just enough light to make your way around the trees, but not much else.

With tin weapons tightly in hand, Satou, Shiratori, Kogoro, and Chiba carefully weaved their way through the maze. Kogoro was carrying a tin revolver, but Satou wasn't exactly sure if he had the coordination to fire it…or if it was even loaded. Chiba was clutching a giant tin mallet, and Shiratori held onto his faithful, newly sharpened axe.

Shiratori stopped them at a sign posted in a tiny clearing of trees. Witch's castle beyond the cliff," he read, "I'd turn back if I were you."

"Sounds like a plan, let's go guys!" Chiba said, turning for a quick escape. He got maybe two steps before Kogoro and Shiratori grabbed him back by the arms and swung him around again, kicking and whimpering.

"This is no time to act cowardly," said Satou, "Takagi-kun is somewhere in that castle and we need to find him – not to mention we need the Witch's broom to give to the Wizard."

Once sure Chiba wouldn't make a run for it, they continued cautiously through the woods.

"Are you sure you're going the right way?" Kogoro asked, "It's very dark and spooky in this forest."

"It has to be," said Satou, "the sign pointed us in this direction!"

Somewhere in the trees, a bird or some other creature began cackling. Chiba jumped behind Kogoro, "Spooks! They're coming for us!" He clutched his tail tightly again, as if some critter was going to come and steal it off of him.

"Don't be silly;" said Shiratori, "There are no spooks here!"

"Y-you don't believe in spooks?" Kogoro asked.

"Of course not," said Shiratori, "There's no such thing as sp–" As if by some magical device, Shiratori was lifted high into the air and then unceremoniously dropped several feet from where he once stood.

"Shiratori-kun!" Satou rushed over, "Are you alright?"

He stood up and nodded, "I'm fine, but now, my new polish job is ruined."

Chiba hugged himself tightly, "I do believe in spooks, I do believe in spooks, I _do_ believe in spooks, I do, I do, I do, I do, I _do_ believe in spooks!"

The faint sound of beating wings was growing louder from somewhere above the treetops.

"Do you hear something?" Kogoro asked. Satou and Shiratori shook their heads. Chiba, however, nodded fearfully.

"I didn't hear anything," said Shiratori, "What did it sound like?"

Kogoro frowned; "It sounded like…" he looked around, trying to place the sound, "It was like wings. It sounded like a lot of wings."

"Wings?" Satou asked, "Like bird wings?"

Kogoro looked beyond her, up past the treetops, "Like _those_ wings!" He pointed where a swarm of flying creatures were heading right for them, "Run for your lives!"

With Chiba well in the lead, they darted in and out of the trees trying to find their way through the dark forest.

"What are those things?" Satou asked as they ran, trying to maintain some distance.

"I think they're the winged creatures the mayor warned us about," Shiratori cried, "Those look like the same ones that attacked me while you were with the Wizard!"

The winged men kept gaining on them the further they went into the trees. After quickly veering off to the side, he rounded a tree and turned to face the oncoming storm.

Kogoro stopped a few trees away. "Shiratori-kun, what are you doing!"

"We can't let the Witch get the ruby slippers," Shiratori exclaimed, "I'm going to hold them off! Keep going, and make sure Satou-san gets away!" He quickly swung his axe in attempts to knock some of the winged creatures out of the sky. It did manage to slow some of them down, but the majority flew high over his head and out of the axe's reach and continued chasing Satou and Chiba. The ones that were slowed, however, diverted their attention from the others and made a grab for Kogoro. Two of them dragged him to a clearing and threw him against the ground...

A few minutes later, the swarm flew back upwards and back towards the castle. Shiratori looked around. Everything was eerily quiet, other than Kogoro's moan for help somewhere out of his sight. All of a sudden, something large and furry came crashing into him. They both toppled over into a pile of dead leaves and…straw?

"Chiba-kun!" Shiratori gasped, "What happened to you…and where is Satou-san? Did you two get separated?"

"No!" Chiba wailed, "Those winged monsters grabbed her and took off towards the Witch's castle!"

Shiratori gulped, "That's not good at all!"

"_Can you two get off my chest and help me!_" Kogoro snapped.

Chiba and Shiratori looked down. Kogoro was lying flat on the ground. Very flat. Upon further inspection, they saw that his body was devoid of all of its straw from the neck down and his legs were a good tree-and-a-half away from his chest. They quickly scrambled to their feet. "What happened to you!" Shiratori asked.

"First they threw my arms out and threw them over there. Then they pulled my chest out…and you're sitting on it. And then they pulled my legs out and threw them the other way!"

Chiba snickered, "That's you all over."

"Ha ha," Kogoro muttered, "Come on, hurry up and get me back together again. We've got to find Satou-kun!"

* * *

"How nice of you to join us," said the Witch. She smiled warmly at Satou.

"Are you talking to me or the shoes?" Satou asked dryly. Aiku's henchmen had grabbed her from behind while she was trying to help Chiba to his feet after tripping over a giant rock. Holding her firmly by the arms, they took off for the castle and pushed her inside the highest tower via the large open window.

After brushing the dead leaves that had been kicked up from the chase from her clothes, she was able to get a good look around the room, where her eyes immediately settled on a familiar face. "Takagi-kun!" He was being held back by two large winged men – one _much_ larger than the other – with a pained expression on his face, "What have you done to him?"

"Me?" Aiku asked innocently, "I haven't laid a harmful finger on him. In fact, I had him treated from his rather rough journey here. I would think you would be thankful for that!"

"He looks like he's in pain," Satou retorted.

"He's not in pain," Aiku turned to look, and then blinked, "Are you?"

Takagi cringed, struggling against the larger man's hold of his arms twisted tightly behind him.

Aiku sighed, "Toshiro, go stand by the door, and Ichiro, let go of him before you tear his arms off. There's no need to hurt our guest – at least not yet."

Toshiro looked at both detectives cautiously, but took his post after coming to the conclusion that neither of them would be able to escape. Ichiro released his iron grip as Takagi gasped and massaged his aching arms.

"There, now it's a trade," said the Witch, "I released your friend, now you release to me those slippers."

"I didn't realize we were negotiating," said Satou, "You haven't released anyone. Takagi-kun isn't a bargaining chip!"

"Oh?" Aiku snapped, "If I don't get my slippers, you won't see your dear friend alive again!"

"What in the world is so special about these shoes that you needed to resort to kidnapping?"

"I don't need to explain myself to you or anyone else," Aiku sniffed, "Give me my slippers!"

Satou looked down at the slippers glittering off of the nearby candelabra. "There has to be a reason... otherwise Kobayashi-san wouldn't have told me not to give them to you."

"Very well," Aiku growled, turning to Ichiro. Perhaps it was planned in advance, but once his eyes locked with hers, without warning he grabbed Takagi by his collar and rushed forward, slamming him against the stone wall. Takagi's head hit the wall hard enough for his vision to momentarily go fuzzy.

"Stop!" Satou cried, "What are you doing?"

"You had your chance back even on the Yellow Brick Road to give me those slippers. Now we'll do this my way. If you don't give me those slippers in the next five seconds, then Ichiro can and will end Takagi's life."

"No!" Satou rushed forward, getting about three steps before Toshiro sprang up and blocked her path. ("One.") Ichiro lifted Takagi one-handed by his neck, holding him against the wall in a choking grip. ("Two.") Takagi had both of his hands on Ichiro's grip, struggling unsuccessfully to remove his hold. Ichiro raised an eyebrow, then moved him away from the wall, and finally slammed Takagi back into it, with more strength than the first time. The hit stunned him and his arms fell limply to his side.

"Thr–"

"Stop, please!" Satou choked out, "You can have your old slippers but put him down!"

Aiku smiled, "Now then, I knew you'd see reason!" She took a step forward.

"Wait," Satou wiped a tear from her eye, "Let him go first."

"He's all yours – once those shoes are on _my _feet."

She reached down, however once her long fingers were mere inches from Satou's toes did sparks fly from the slippers and repelled Aiku's hands. She shrieked and shrank back, nursing her palms as if they had been stung by a large bee or mosquito.

Ichiro glanced over at Aiku's cry. Forgetting he was holding Takagi up in a strangulating grasp, he dropped him unceremoniously and rushed to her side. At the same time, Satou rushed to the other side of the room to Takagi, who was on his knees massaging his neck, coughing and gasping for breath.

"_Damn_, I should have known, fool that I am!" Aiku swore. "Those shoes will _never _come off, at least not while you're still alive." She paused for a moment, "But that isn't what worries me – it's how to do it. These things must be done delicately, or you hurt the spell."

She looked around the room, and her eyes fell on her enormous hourglass with emerald-colored sand inside. "You see this, my dears? This is how long you both have to live. And take a good look, because it isn't very long. You've both meddled in my affairs long enough and I can't wait forever to get those shoes!"

Aiku flipped the hourglass over and leading her minions, stormed from the room. The door slammed shut behind them and the lock clicked. They heard her speaking to the guard on the other side of the door, before hearing her footsteps echo down the tower steps.

Satou helped her partner to his feet, "Are you alright, Takagi-kun?"

He nodded, unbuttoning the collar of his shirt and tugging his tie loose. Sitting on the floor, he leaned against the wall, wincing slightly as the back of his head hit the cold stone.

"Did she hurt you?" Satou asked, "We found blood back in the room."

"The big one, Ichiro, hit me over the head," said Takagi, "I was unconscious for a while, but that's according to Araide-san. He fixed me up here while I was out. Since awake, I haven't been touched until just now."

Satou frowned, "Araide-san? The doctor from the Emerald City is here too?"

Takagi nodded, "You can say he's an equal opportunity doctor." He looked bitterly at the door.

She sighed, "So that's how this all happened, because of Araide-san's many loyalties?"

"I assume so."

"Well, in any case, we need to find a way out of here. The door is locked and even if we were to bust out through there, the Witch probably has guards waiting. The only other option is the window, but we're too high to jump, and I'm not going to attempt climbing down."

"What about this?" Takagi got up and walked to the window where the dove was perched, "The witch said she had been watching us on our trip to the Emerald City. Maybe this dove has been doing the same. What if we were able to get a message to someone in the Emerald City for help?"

"The City is too far," said Satou, "It's almost a day's journey and the hourglass would be empty by then. But Mouri-kun and the others should still be in the woods, so maybe we could send a message to them!"

Takagi looked around, "But Satou-san, there's nothing here to send a message with. No paper or ink."

"We'll just have to hope this dove knows where he's going then," said Satou, leaning down to almost eye level with the sill, "Get help, alright? Find Mouri-kun, Shiratori-kun and Chiba-kun! They're somewhere in the forest. Can you do that?"

The dove gave a small incline of its head towards Takagi, flapped its wings, and took off.

"If that doesn't work, there goes our last shot of getting out of here," Takagi frowned, sitting back down.

"Don't give up hope yet, Takagi-kun;" said Satou, "This isn't over yet.

Takagi nodded numbly and glanced over at the hourglass. The bottom of the bowl was already covered over.

* * *

Currently typing Chapter 9. Once that is finished, I'll upload 7, and once 10 is in my computer I'll crank out the rest of them. Thanks for reading, and see you next chapter!


	7. The Wizard

Disclaimer: See previous chapter.

* * *

Chapter 7

"What's taking you so long?" Kogoro whined, "How long does it possibly take to stuff a man's legs with straw!"

"Oh, shut up," said Chiba, "We're almost done. Not that it matters; once we get you back together again, we still have no idea where to find Satou-kun and Takagi-kun."

"I'd say the castle, but that creature attack had us running in every direction through this forest. I've got no idea where we are," said Shiratori.

Chiba stood up, "Alright you're all fixed. Try not to get caught in a windstorm or anything or your stuffing might fall out again."

Kogoro sprang up and patted himself down, "Are you sure you got all of me in there?"

Chiba nodded, "It's hard to see when it's getting dark. I grabbed all the straw that I could find. What's the matter, can't feel your feet?"

"I just feel slightly lighter than usual, that's all. Oh well. The only thing I can do at this point is make sure I don't lose any more of me. They can fix me up again when we get back to the Emerald City."

"You mean _if _we get back," said Shiratori, "This might end up as a suicide mission."

Chiba gulped. They started back through the woods again, this time at a slower pace due to Kogoro's constant stumbling. "If you trip _one more time_, I'm going to tear your legs off myself and toss you over the cliff to the Witch's castle!" the lion growled.

Kogoro snorted, "Please, you're too gentle to do something like that."

Chiba hung his head in defeat, "Damn, I hate it when you're right."

They continued onward, unaware of the dove stalking them from behind…and unaware they were traveling in the direction opposite the castle.

"Did you hear something?" Kogoro asked. He stopped suddenly and whirled around, trying to pinpoint the mysterious noise reaching his ears.

"Like what?"

"Sounds like wings!" Chiba cried, "The winged men are back! _Run for your lives!_" He dove under a bush.

Shiratori face palmed, "Get out from there, Chiba-kun, it's only a dove. Come to think of it, I think I've seen it somewhere before…like on the window ledge from the hotel room before we were attacked!"

"We're pretty far from the Emerald City though," said Chiba, climbing out of the leaves, "I wonder what it's doing out here."

The dove circled around them before nose-diving, landing on Kogoro's shoulder and picking at a tuft of loose straw.

"Hey, lay off!" Kogoro snapped. He waved his hand at the dove, but it only flew up and landed on the other shoulder, "Shoo! Get off me! Go back to the Emerald City where you came from and pick off some other scarecrow!" He flailed his arms about.

The dove took off a second time, but not before grabbing a large straw tuft on its way up and flew in the opposite direction.

Kogoro's eyes widened. "_Hey! Come back here with my shoulder!_"

Shiratori and Chiba watched him chase the dove back into the thick trees. They snickered at the sight, until both of them realized that while running, Kogoro was faster than the both of them. "Wait for us!"

* * *

"Any luck?" Satou asked, pulling a tapestry away from the wall. To her dismay, there were no secret entrances behind the wall hanging.

Takagi was sitting on the floor at the only found exit to the tower, trying to pick the lock with a thin dagger that was lying amongst the powders and bowls near the crystal ball. With a sigh, he leaned back against the wall, dropping the dagger to the floor, "Nope. It doesn't fit in the lock and there's nothing narrower in here to use."

"It was worth a shot," said Satou, "I couldn't find any other doors or openings either. I suppose we're stuck here until either help arrives, or until she comes back to finish us off."

Takagi looked over at the hourglass, the bottom half was already half-full. "Satou-san…," he slowly began, "Have you ever tried…just taking the shoes off?"

His partner smiled and shook her head, "Yea, that night in the hotel. You wouldn't have remembered, you were passed out. Believe me; sleeping with them on was very uncomfortable."

He rubbed his forehead, "You're right, I barely remember anything from last night." He laughed nervously, "One of the last things I do recall was watching Chiba-kun going to get his claws trimmed when we arrived in the City. He seemed nervous, like those claws were his only means of self defense. Araide-san tried giving me some type of examination and I remember him taking me up to that suite, but that's all. He might've said something about the medication making me drowsy for a few hours, but I don't remember. Everything's really a big blur."

"'A few hours' is an understatement, Takagi-kun. You were out cold until well after we left to see the Wizard. I would know – I didn't sleep much at all that night just out of sheer worry, and I didn't hear any noise coming out from that room. I think that overnight stakeout in Beika consumed most of your energy."

"_Two _overnight stakeouts," he corrected, "And I'm pretty sure it was that whack to the head back in that warehouse that triggered this mess. But after the first night out, I got a quick nap in the morning after while I was supposed to be filing a report."

Satou grinned, "I remember Megure-keibu almost had a field day trying to decipher your handwriting that was sliding off of the page. He made Chiba-kun retype it."

"He did? I guess I owe him then."

Satou walked to the window and looked down. The castle soldiers were starting some march around the grounds. It looked like there was some kind of skirmish going on in the rocks by the drawbridge but she couldn't see what was going on from her height. After a scan of the skies she frowned, "You know, Takagi-kun, I don't think that dove is going to come back."

"I'm sure it will," Takagi assured her, "That is, _after _the both of us are killed over a pair of shoes."

Satou sighed, "That doesn't make me feel much better you know."

"There has to be _some_ way we could get out of here," Takagi rose to his feet, "I don't really feel like sitting here waiting to die."

Satou looked around the room, "Maybe…if we can't get out, we'll just have to get someone to unlock the door for us."

Takagi raised an eyebrow, "What are you talking about, Satou-san?"

Her eyes fell on the red powders and the bowl of water Araide was using, "I've got an idea…."

…The castle guard shifted his weight to the other foot. Since Aiku had placed him at the door, he had never been so bored in his life. At one point he chuckled when he heard the prisoners on the other side trying to pick the lock on the door. _Try all you want_, he thought to himself, _there's only one way to get the door open, and it's from the outside.  
_

However, once that noise stopped, he went back to standing facing the staircase and staring at nothing but the boring stone walls. At least, until he heard a crash and a scream come from the other side of the door.

"Ooy, what's going on in there!" He called. At last, something to break the silence.

"_Please, I need help!_" The woman, Satou, cried. At least that's what he thought her name was. All he knew was that she had the slippers the Witch wanted.

"What is it?" he snapped. The last thing he needed was to be caught talking with the prisoners.

"_Takagi-kun collapsed and hit his head on the glass table when he fell. He's bleeding everywhere!_"

"So?"

"_He needs Araide-san before his head gets worse! Please get him for me!_"

"You two are prisoners, why do I care what happens to him?"

"_Because if he dies, who do you think is going to be blamed for it_?"

_Damn_. He knew she was right. For all he knew, the guy could have bled all over the ruby slippers, and if so, Aiku would kill him for not getting them cleaned up. "I'm coming in to see. Try anything funny and I'll kill the both of you on the spot."

He plucked the keys to the door from his pocket and undid the lock. He opened the door cautiously, holding tightly onto the rather pointy spear.

He saw Takagi by the glass table, a red blotch soaking through the white bandages and onto the floor. The guard got no more than two steps towards the detective when he was grabbed from behind, flipped over into the air, and crashed to the stone floor hard enough to knock him out cold…

* * *

"Almost there!" Kogoro cried as he made a running leap. He had chased the dove all across the woods, but still didn't have his straw back. The dove, on the other hand, saw the scarecrow coming and flew over the hill and down towards the foreboding castle, dropping its cargo on a rock at the bottom. Missing his target, Kogoro stumbled and rolled down the hill, crashing into the rock. He waved his stuffing for Chiba and Shiratori to see from the hilltop, "I've got my straw!"

Chiba and Shiratori carefully made their way down to him. "Don't you know where we are?" Shiratori gasped, "It' the Witch's castle!"

Chiba tried to run back up the hill but Kogoro grabbed his tail, "We gotta get out of here!"

"_Shh_!" Kogoro hissed, pointing a little farther off where the castle guards where marching and chanting, "I've got an idea how to get in there, and _you _are going to lead us!"

Chiba paled, "M-me? I-I-I-am?"

Shiratori nodded, "Yes, you – wait, _he _is, Mouri-kun?"

Chiba looked worriedly at the castle before flashing a surprisingly determined grin, "Alright. Witch or no witch, I'll do it for Satou-kun and Takagi-kun. I may not come out alive, but I'm going in there!" Shiratori and Kogoro nodded in agreement. "There's only one thing I want you guys to do."

Kogoro raised an eyebrow, "What's that?"

"Talk me out of it!"

"Oh no you don't!"

* * *

"It was foolish of you to try and escape," said a calm voice, "You're lucky _I _was the one that caught you and not one of her other minions, _or_ the Witch herself."

Satou slowly opened her eyes and rubbed her forehead, wincing. "What happened?" she mumbled.

"You were caught, that's what happened," Araide chuckled. He dabbed her bruised cheek with a damp handkerchief.

When he stepped back, Satou looked around, "We're back in the tower."

Araide nodded, "I was surprised you made it to the bottom of the steps. I hid the guard you overpowered in a broom closet. As for you and your friend, I had to subdue you two before Aiku saw you had escaped. The pain should alleviate in a few minutes."

Satou looked over the back of the armchair. Takagi had his hands in his pockets, pacing by the window. He occasionally took a sideways glance at the hourglass, the bottom bowl about three-quarters full.

"…Well, that should do it," said Araide, gathering his things. "I'm going to lock you in again. If you're caught a second time, I can guarantee it won't be by me, and you won't be as lucky as you were this time." He closed the door softly behind him, and she heard the lock click once more.

"You alright, Satou-san?" Takagi asked, pausing in front of the window.

"Yea," she sighed, "Well so much for that plan. There is one thing I don't get though. Why did Araide-san help us? He could have let the witch just find us…."

"Perhaps he isn't a terrible person, despite who he picks up as clients," Takagi shrugged. "He did patch me up again after nearly being killed."

"I suppose so," said Satou, "But I guess now time's just about up."

Takagi glanced sadly towards the window to see the dove sitting on the ledge, "Look, Satou-san, our friend is back!"

"It's about time," said Satou, "I thought he wouldn't come back at all, and not a moment too soon! The hourglass is almost empty."

"I wonder if he brought help," said Takagi. He looked down the tower wall from the window, but couldn't see anyone. "We must be too far up to see the ground." The dove nipped at his finger affectionately.

"Help better come in the next few seconds if it is on its way," Satou frowned, "We don't have much longer."

"_Satou-kun! Takagi-kun! Are you in there_?"

The two detectives quickly glanced at the door, "That was convenient," Satou smiled. "Mouri-kun! We're here, and the witch locked us in!"

"She'll be back at any moment," Takagi exclaimed, "Hurry!"

They heard Shiratori call for them to stand back before he swung his axe into the door. Takagi glanced back to the dove as it took off, flying back towards the Emerald City. He joined Satou next to the door as it came crashing inward several whacks later.

"We thought that you'd never get here," Satou cried happily, "How did you find us?"

"That crazy bird made off with my shoulder!" Kogoro explained, "We chased it to the castle, and once that flying menace let go of me, led us here."

"Let's talk later," Shiratori said, glancing nervously around, "Beating that door in wasn't as quiet as it could have been, and any moment she could come back. I for one don't want to end up a beehive."

They hurried down the steps of the tower, and were nearly out the doors when the large slabs of wood slammed shut on their own, trapping them inside.

"No!" Chiba wailed, "We were so close!"

They turned slowly back to the steps once the high-pitched cackle reached their ears. "Leaving so soon, are we?" Aiku called, holding the empty hourglass. "My little party is just beginning – and how sweet, you've brought guests!"

She descended, handing off the hourglass to Toshiro as she went. The others shrank back against the door when her soldiers came around the corner, pointing at them their extraordinarily sharp spears. Satou happened to glance over at Takagi who had an oddly blank look on his face.

"Let's see now," Aiku continued, her broom in hand, "The last to go will see the first three go before here…and her dazed friend too." She looked from Shiratori who looked ready to strike her with the axe, to Chiba. He was as far from her as he could possibly be, clutching his tail. Her eyes then fell on Kogoro, who looked _extremely _uncomfortable standing under a torch mounted on the wall.

Smirking, she raised her broom, catching the straw in the flame. "How about a little fire, scarecrow?"

Everything afterward happened in a great blur. The moment the burning broom touched his arm Kogoro began to shriek. At the same time someone released a smoke bomb – or maybe it was the witch's doing? – and Satou felt some sort of movement beside her. Immediately after, the witch screamed.

Once the soldiers stopped coughing and cleared the smoke away, they had to look down at Aiku as she slowly shrank.

"What have you done?" She wailed, soaked. An empty water bucket that had been hanging on the wall was lying beside her. "I'm _melting_!" She continued to wail and melt until there was nothing more to the Wicked Witch than a black hat and cloak with her broom sitting innocently on the floor beside them.

Toshiro glanced up at Takagi and Shiratori as they were standing closest to the Witch. "She's dead. You killed her!"

"I-I didn't mean to," Takagi stammered, "Mouri-san was on fire!"

Toshiro smirked, "I don't really care. She made herself ruler over us, using her magic to keep us under control. If I was able, I would have killed her a _long_ time ago." There was a glint in his eyes, Satou noticed, that didn't seem right. A kind of malice she didn't notice back while being held in the tower.

Ichiro nodded, "Praise Oz! The Wicked Witch is dead!"

Chiba glanced down, "Um, can we have the broom? The Wizard -"

Toshiro shrugged, "Go ahead, we have no use for it."

Kogoro pumped a fist, "Now we can go back to the Wizard and he'll grant our requests!"

Toshiro was nice enough to point them in the direction of the Emerald City before shooing them out of the castle. Once his back was to them, he walked back inside, smirking and rubbing his hands together….

Satou had the oddest feeling something quite right on the way back. She looked over at Takagi; he seemed much more awake now than when she was brought into the tower. In fact, he seemed to be leading them out of the woods and into the dark city streets, up the steps and into the Wizard's hall. _Wait…_.

"I thought the Wizard isn't around at night," said Satou, confused, "…how do you know he'll be here, Takagi-kun?"

"I remember seeing someone here from the tower window," Takagi said calmly, opening the big double-doors, "Of course, I also saw a bunch of doves fly through one of the windows."

Satou narrowed her eyes, it was impossible to see the Wizard's hall, or any part of the city from the tower. She had only seen trees.

The main room was empty. There was a door on the side that Satou didn't remember.

"Takagi-kun," she began, "how did you know your way through this place?" she crossed her arms, "You didn't come with us before, so how do you know your way around this place?"

Takagi kept walking until he was in the middle of the room, and then turned to the others, "You got me, keiji-san." He pointed to the mysterious side door, "You want to go in there."

Kogoro, Shiratori, and Chiba all looked at each other. Satou raised an eyebrow, "T-takagi-kun…what's through that door?" She turned back to her partner…or where he was standing, but he was no longer there. "Takagi-kun?"

"Where'd he go?" Chiba looked around.

Satou reached down and picked up a charcoal-colored jacket from the floor, "This…this is his!"

"But where is he?" Shiratori asked.

Satou crossed the room to the door on the other side; it was ajar. "Takagi-kun…if that was really him, said to go through this door, and that's what I'm going to do."

With Chiba as far in the back as possible, Satou pushed the narrow wooden door open and peered inside.

The only thing in the room was a small cot in the corner. Satou rushed forward upon seeing her partner lying there – the jacket of his suit had been removed.

"If this is Takagi-kun, then who was with us at the castle?" Kogoro asked.

"At this point, I don't know which Takagi is the real one," said Satou, shaking his shoulder slightly. "Wake up, Takagi-kun," she said softly in his ear.

He winced as his eyes opened, "S-Satou-san?" he said groggily. He sat up, yawned, and rubbed his head, "What's going on?" He looked around, "Where am I?"

"In the Wizard's Hall," said Satou, "Sometime after arriving here, you were switched with an impostor." She placed a hand on his shoulder, "What's the last thing you can remember?"

Takagi frowned, "Araide-san, he gave me some sort of drink. He said it was a...(he yawned) a pain reducer and that it will make me drowsy for a few hours. I don't remember anything else until now."

"The middle of the night," Kogoro began, "We heard a noise while you two were asleep. We thought you had just gotten up and went back to sleep, but I'll be that's when the switch happened."

"And they say scarecrows have no brains," said a voice from the doorway.

Takagi peered out from around Satou to see his look-a-like grinning at him, twirling a burnt broomstick in his hand. "Who…who _are_ you?"

"The guy who saved your head from a couple of extra slams," said the broom-twirling Takagi, "Seriously, keiji-san, you're beat up _way_ too much." He rubbed his head where he himself had been struck. He stepped aside and gestured them out of the small room.

Chiba was the last one to leave the room, "Still didn't answer the question – who are you?"

The other Takagi grinned, and then in a flash, released a smoke pellet. Satou, who was the closest to him, began coughing and waving Takagi's jacket in the air to clear out the smoke. When the mysteriously pink fog dissipated, the other Takagi was gone. Instead, standing in the middle of the room was a young man dressed finely in a white suit, cape, and top hat. A dove flew down from the top of the room and landed on his shoulder.

They watched as he slammed the broom against the tiled floor, smashing the end on contact. From the splintered wood he grabbed a small red jewel with a gloved hand and raised it to the moonlight seeping in through a high window.

Kogoro gasped, "You're that jewel thief, aren't you? The Wizard wasn't here when we came by earlier, it was you, and you made us get that broom so you can get the jewel inside!"

"Another winning deduction by the supposedly brainless one," said the man in white, "And before you ask, no I am not a thief – at least not under normal classification. Everything I have stolen has so far been returned to the proper owners, thanks to tantei and mayor Hakuba-san, Nakamori-keibu, and little Tantei-kun."

"What about the gem in your hand?" Shiratori asked.

"I am a gentleman thief, a magician on a search, and this particular jewel is not what I've been searching for." He circled around the group, "You know, I've been keeping an eye on you since you've arrived in Tantei-kun's territory – Midgetland to you, I suppose – and your travels since." He clapped a hand onto Takagi's shoulder as he paused next to him, "I switched places with you last night while you slept. I slipped you a much stronger sleeping pill than Araide-san could ever hope to own, and brought you here, to keep you from getting killed. That brick hit would probably have killed you."

"Eh, thank you, I guess," Takagi said, still trying to wake up, "Perhaps (he yawned again)... a bit too strong."

The man tipped his hat slightly, "It's a policy of mine – no one gets hurt." He circled back to the front of the group, "I must also say, that while watching your travels, and participating at the same time, it doesn't take a magician such as myself, or even a _Wizard_ to tell you that what you've been desiring have been deep inside you all along." He gestured to Kogoro, "You, my friend desire a brain, but you don't seem to realize that ever since you stopped these two keiji-sans on their journey you've been using one ever since. You've been thinking up all sorts of ideas, breaking into the Witch's castle for example. How could you think, or even talk, without a brain?"

"Some people do a lot of talking without brains," Chiba said, "I knew this one tiger who…err, never mind…."

"Every living creature has a brain," said the magician, "They just don't know how to use them properly."

Kogoro flushed, "So…so I really _do _have a brain after all!"

"What about me?" Shiratori asked.

"You, my tin friend, desire a heart, but like your straw friend, already have one. You think you can't show emotion, yet you cry, panic, and cheer like anyone else."

Shiratori's eyes widened, "I-I have?"

"Crying, panicking and cheering are emotions, fueled by the heart. How would you be able to do those things without one?"

Shiratori put a hand to his chest plate, "You're right…."

"W-what about me?" Chiba sniffed, "Don't try and tell me I have courage, because I don't!"

The magician laughed, "But of course you do! My dear lion, you've displayed loads of courage!"

"Prove it!"

"Well for starters, you went after the apple basket because you were hungry. Sure you tried flattening Satou-keiji to get it, which wasn't the best way to go about it, but you had the courage to try rather than shrink back into the trees and be hungry. You also agreed to come here with total strangers, just for the chance to get what you already had deep inside of you. You didn't know these people – for all you knew, they could have been outlaws."

"So…that's courage?"

"It could be, but you can also call it bad judgment," the magician winked. "You're probably the bravest lion I've ever met!" _You're the _only _lion I've ever met._

"If we already had what we needed," said Shiratori, "Then what's the point of going to see this Wizard anyway?"

"So, Satou-keiji and Takagi-keiji could get home, of course," said the magician. His head turned to the door as he heard banging outside. To not wean their attention towards the noise outside he quickly turned back to them, "Then again, home for them is that crippled warehouse in Shinagawa."

"What?" Satou cried, "Takagi-kun and I left that place when we arrived here! We just need to get back to Tokyo - police headquarters, our homes, but not that place!"

"My dear, Satou-keiji, you've never left the warehouse." He gestured around the hall, "This room is just an illusion, created by your unconscious mind. None of this is real."

"I-it's not?" she looked around at her companions, "But –"

"They're not real either," said the magician, tossing another pink smoke pellet to the floor.

Satou turned away, coughing and waving away the smoke. When she looked back, only she and the magician were left in the room.

"What the – where are the others?"

"They're waiting for you to wake up, keiji-san," said the magician, "They were never here. Shiratori-san and Chiba-san are probably still back at police headquarters. Mouri-san is probably still at home, watching the latest Yoko concert or listening to the horse races while drinking enough beer to keep him intoxicated for days." Satou opened her mouth to interrupt be he cut her off quickly with a wave of his hand, "And before you start, Takagi-keiji was never here either. You're _dreaming_, Satou-san. If you still don't believe me, look down."

She slowly peered down and gasped. The tile floor had disappeared and in its place was a bird's eye view of herself, unconscious, on the warehouse floor. "T-that's me…"

"It most certainly is," said the magician, "You've been dreaming since you initially lost consciousness."

"Are you an illusion too?"

He stole a glance back towards the door, where the noises were getting louder. "I'm not real either, I suppose," he said quickly, "But someone needs to be able to tell you this place isn't real, so here I am."

"Why haven't you disappeared yet, like Takagi-kun and the others?"

"Someone has to wake you up," he said, pointing down, "It seems your fellow officers are having no such luck."

Satou looked back down. There was a lot more debris scattered around the floor than she remembered. Officers with flashlights were trying to sift through some of the fallen beams. "This place is so real, how _do _I wake myself up?"

"I would suggest pinching yourself, but that doesn't always work. Sometimes you only get a mysterious bruise. I would suggest chanting some annoyingly overdone phrase over and over until you force yourself awake. That's what I'd do."

Satou bit her lip, "What should I say?"

"Something you won't want to hear again so your mind will want to wake up. Something catchy and popular that you will be sick of by morning," the magician tapped the brim of his hat, "Something like 'there's no place like Tokyo'."

"'There's no place like Tokyo'?"

The magician's eyes wandered a moment back where it sounded like someone had broken through the main door to the hall and were on their way to his current location. "Yes, that phrase sounds about right. And for effect, how about closing your eyes and clicking your ruby heels together three times as you chant them? Let magic and your mind do the rest."

Satou nodded and positioned her feet. She had done two heel clicks before looking back up at him, "You're no ordinary magician, are you?"

He looked worriedly at the door, and then poker-faced back to her, "You're right. I'm not."

As she muttered the chosen phrase to herself, her eyes closed and her heels clicked, she heard his voice echo through her head. "To detectives and the police, I am Kaitou Kid, the gentleman thief. But to Oz, I'm the Wizard…."

Her eyebrows raised in surprise as she felt herself drift away, the words 'there's no place like Tokyo' the only thing she was able to hear….

* * *

Next chapter should be up soon! My estimate, after some editing, is that it should be around sometime around Halloween!

Any questions, comments, complaints, blackmail, and the like (let's keep it friendly here - no blackmail!) can be left in a review, so I can respond. You could also drop a PM!

See you next time!


	8. The Storm Continues

Happy Halloween! Candy corn to all of my readers!

Disclaimer: See previous chapter.

* * *

Chapter 8

_Tokyo_

The officers in Division One were on edge, not only because they had gotten soaked (except for Shiratori) trying to block the windows in Division Two, not because they weren't allowed to leave work due the continuing storm, but because they had to share their desks with the Kid Taskforce, the rest of second division, and Nakamori with his never-ending temper. Shiratori had fallen asleep at Megure's desk with his hand over the phone.

Chiba walked into the crowded room, shaking out his umbrella, "The weather is getting better, sort of."

Nakamori raised an eyebrow, "Sort of?"

"The rain is lightening up…slightly, but a tornado appeared in Shinagawa and destroyed much of the warehouse district…which was Satou and Takagi's last known location. Any news yet?"

Nakamori nodded to Shiratori, "He fell asleep waiting for a phone call. He's been there for hours."

Chiba looked around, "Where's Megure-keibu?"

"Helping in an investigation downstairs. I believe he's questioning a suspect Satou and Takagi had brought in before this mess occurred. I've been holding out his fort for the past half hour."

The phone on Megure's desk suddenly rang. Shiratori jumped a foot in the air, now wide awake. Before he could even grab the phone, Nakamori had raised it to his ear, "Police headquarters, Nakamori speaking."

The other detectives gathered around, watching closely. Those in division one were anxious for news on Satou and Takagi – mainly Satou.

"_Nakamori-keibu? This is Fumiko. Hoshiro and I are in Shinagawa…what's left of it…and we found Satou-keiji's car. Surprisingly enough, it isn't damaged, but the warehouse it's next to is in terrible shape._"

"Where?" Nakamori grabbed a pen and Shiratori's police notebook off of the desk and began scribbling in it, "…on the far side of Shinagawa Station…uh huh…how bad is it? …We'll be there soon. If you feel it safe, proceed inside, or stay and wait for me, the call is yours. Whatever you decide, keep someone at the radio." He slammed the phone down and grabbed Shiratori by the arm, "Let's go."

"Where are we going?" Shiratori asked as he was dragged out the door. Chiba looked back towards the phone when he noticed something stuck to the window. He walked up to it and gasped. Stuck to the glass was a notice, apparently completely water-proof, with a riddle and a familiar caricature at the bottom…

"…One of the patrol units still out there found Satou's car outside a dead warehouse in Shinagawa," said Nakamori.

"I thought we were under orders not to leave headquarters," Chiba called after them.

"If Megure complains, tell him I'm after Kid!"

Chiba opened his mouth to say something, but closed it as the door slammed shut. He took a look at the notice plastered to the window, and then back at the door. _Shouldn't be too hard to do…_

Nakamori pulled out of the parking garage and wheeled around the corner with such speed, he rivaled Satou in reckless driving.

"Are you sure this is alright?" Shiratori asked, holding on to his seat for dear life, "Leaving under the guise of a Kaitou Kid heist?"

"No one will complain, I've done it before." He swerved through the rain around an intersection.

"And what about me?" Shiratori nearly hit the window.

"You're going to be the homicide inspector."

"Keibu, I _am _a homicide inspector."

"Good. Then you can book me for attempted murder if I don't catch Kid this time!"

"But…" he closed his eyes as they rounded another dangerous curve, "But we're not chasing Kaitou Kid, we're going to help Satou and Takagi."

Nakamori whapped him in the back of his head, "That's an excuse for Megure. Hopefully, Chiba is a good enough liar that you won't have to worry about using it."

Shiratori rubbed the back of his head, "How can you even see where you're going in this weather?"

Nakamori quickly jerked the wheel, "I've spent _years_ chasing that thief around the city. I have a very good idea of where the road is."

Shiratori squinted, leaning forwards, "I can't see anything through the windshield."

The inspector suddenly swerved to avoid colliding with the back of Satou's car, "We're here."

After a moment, Shiratori unstuck himself from the passenger side window, "Remind me never to criticize Satou's driving again. Ever again."

They both peered through the rain-soaked windows. The only cars they could see were Satou's and the blinking red and blue lights from the other patrol car shining off of the collapsed warehouse.

"I don't see the other officers anywhere," said Shiratori, "They might have gone inside to search." He reached down to grab the radio, but Nakamori beat him to it.

"Where are you, Hoshiro?"

The reply came through extremely crackled, "Kozoku-san and I are inside at the end still standing trying to sift through some of the debris on the first floor. No sign of anyone yet."

"Keep going. Shiratori and I will move to the 2nd floor. We'll be on the portable radio." He reached behind his seat, and pulled out two radios and flashlights from a black case and turned to Shiratori, "Let's go."

Barely taking the time to slam the car doors shut, they bolted through the rain to the nearest door. Shiratori jiggled the handle, "It's locked."

Nakamori muttered several colorful words under his breath, "You're kidding, right?"

"If I were, I wouldn't be standing here in the rain complaining about it."

Nakamori growled, "I don't feel like going home with pneumonia, out of the way." He pulled out of his gun and shot the knob off of the door. "Problem solved."

Once inside, Nakamori tossed Shiratori a small radio and flashlight, "I'll look for the other two on this end. You head upstairs and look for those two detectives. Keep your eyes peeled for any of those scum still lying about."

Shiratori nodded and placed the small radio in his inner suit pocket. He watched Nakamori disappear from around a corner before turning and going in the opposite direction. He eventually came to a door that had been forced open, on the opposite side of the building. This end was faring better than the door they came in through…but not by much.

He happened to glance down at the steps and was able to make out fairly dry footprints in the dust. Pulling his gun out, he quietly crept upward, one creaky step at a time. Upon reaching the top, he saw most of the ceiling beams had cracks in it. Most of the doors in the hall were wide open.

"_Anything_?"

Shiratori nearly fell down the stairs. He pulled out the radio, "I thought we were looking out for the criminals. Why did you leave the volume on this thing all the way up?"

"_I didn't touch the dial! The last time it was used was probably during a Kid heist so there was no reason to _not _turn it all the way up. Anyway, it's probably safe to assume the criminals fled. Even if they didn't make their way out, by now they're either waiting to be dug out of this mess or they're injured…or both_."

"There's a forced open door on the far side with footprints going upstairs. One is a clear set of heeled shoes. It's possible Satou and Takagi entered through here and went upstairs."

"_Check it out. Report anything and everything_."

Shiratori acknowledged him and replaced the radio in his suit. "Takagi-kun? Satou-san?...Takagi-kun? Satou-san?" He entered the nearest room, calling his colleagues' names until his eyes fell on some badly hidden crates in the corner. He opened the lid to find a small stash of ammunition. "Nakamori-keibu, I'm sure I found the missing ammo supplies – or at least a good portion of it."

"_The ones stolen from Osaka? I'll send Kozoku to collect it. Is the ammo the only thing you've found_?"

"So far. The upstairs is pretty bad. There's cracks in most of the ceiling beams here, and most of them have fallen down. There's a high possibility that if Satou or Takagi are up here they might be injured."

"_Are they there_?"

"I'm still looking. There's at least three more rooms up here they might be in, but these conditions are terrible."

"_We'll be up there once we sift through this crap_."

Shiratori pocketed the radio again, took another surveying look of the room and moved on. "Satou-san? Takagi-kun?" He waved the flashlight into the next doorway. The light beam couldn't go too far. A shelf had fallen and blocked the entranceway. Knowing he'd never be able to search that room without getting help, he moved on to the doorway across the hall. From the initial flashlight scan, it looked like it was once a storeroom-turned-office. There were some crates in a corner and some pipes running vertically along the edges of the room. Several beams had fallen in this area as well.

"Takagi-kun? Satou-s–" After quickly scanning the floor for a walking path, he burst inside, tripping over a box on the way. He placed the flashlight down so it wouldn't be in his way, yet gave enough light for him to see what he was doing. Shiratori quickly knelt down and grabbed her wrist, relieved to find a pulse. "Thank God," he murmured to himself. He quickly pulled out the radio.

"Keibu, I found Satou unconscious in a destroyed office on the second floor. To be honest, I'm surprised the second floor survived the storm thus far. Most of the support beams in the rooms up here have collapsed, and many have in the room I found her in. I haven't found Takagi yet, but there's a good chance wherever he is, he's hurt as well. I'll need an ambulance."

"_An ambulance has already been called. A ceiling tile in a break room fell on Hoshiro a few minutes ago. He's dazed, but says he's fine. Personally, he looks like a newbie assigned to catch Kid._"

Shiratori moved the light along Satou's still form, looking for injuries, "Looks like one of the beams fell on her, at least just her leg. I don't see any other serious injuries."

"_We're on our way up. Kozoku found the door you mentioned and the stairway_."

Shiratori sighed. _This would be a lot easier if the emergency ceiling lights were working…_. The flashlight beam fell on something. He sighed, _Of course…that would be assuming the lights weren't sitting broken on the floor_. However something was glinting off of the light that made him look again. Under the fallen light was a long fallen pipe. Glinting off of the pipe were two handcuffs, one he could see was clearly broken.

He quickly whirled around the light and saw a broken handcuff shining off of Satou's right wrist. _There's none on her left wrist though…unless…_.

A small moan made him turn back, "Satou-san?" He aimed the flashlight away from her eyes as she slowly opened them.

"Ugh…Shi-Shiratori-kun?" She tried sitting up, but put a hand to her head, wincing.

Shiratori shifted the broken beam off of her ankle, "Are you alright? We lost contact with you and Takagi-kun hours ago."

"My head hurts a bit," she said, then as she attempted to lean against the toppled desk, gasped and latched onto Shiratori's arm, "_And my ankle_!"

Shiratori angled the light down, "You've got a large gash there, and the medic will have to fix that up once they get here. First priority is to get you out of here before another tornado comes and tears the rest of this place apart."

"W-wait," she looked around, squinting in the darkness, "Where's Takagi-kun?"

"I haven't found him yet," said Shiratori. He helped Satou to her feet and sat her on the toppled desk. "It's too dark to see the whole room at once. Where did you see him last?"

Satou bit her lip and looked around in the dark, "At a pipe…we were handcuffed to it. I don't know where it is though."

"So you were caught by Toshiro," Shiratori frowned, "Did they hurt you?" He carefully made his way across the room, making sure not to trip.

"N-not me, but the knocked Takagi-kun around for a while." She watched Shiratori shine the flashlight around, "Did you find Takagi-kun yet?"

"I found a pipe with a broken handcuff on it – I'm assuming the other half is on your wrist. I'm looking for that pipe now…ah, here it is. What did you break loose with?" He began following the steel along the floor.

"There were pliers nearby," said Satou, "I lost my footing and consciousness when I tried cutting Takagi-kun loose. If he didn't get himself out, he should still be somewhere near that pipe."

"I'll keep looking for him, but I want you to stay there. Don't move until the medic comes, understand?"

Satou was already half-off of the desk when she sighed and sat back down.

Shiratori suddenly stopped and pushed a fallen beam aside. "I found him…" After a sideways glance behind him, the inspector shifted his body over to block Satou's view. "Keibu, I found Takagi unconscious and injured. He _needs_ that ambulance!"

"Ooy, you don't need to scream into that thing," Nakamori said, carefully making his way inside. "They'll be here. Those medics don't drive like I do; if there wasn't a storm they'd be here by now."

Shiratori looked around frantically, "Satou-san, you said there were pliers around here?"

Nakamori raised an eyebrow, "Pliers?"

Satou nodded, "I gave them to Takagi-kun." She hopped off of the desk and crashed into Nakamori, "Why?"

Shiratori aimed the beam down on the pipe, "He didn't use them and unless we can cut him out of these chains, the medics won't be able to get him to a hospital."

Satou grabbed Nakamori's arm and aimed his light towards something metallic. Sliding down onto the floor, she picked up the item.

Nakamori crouched down next to her, "That's a cell phone…was it here before?"

Satou shook her head, "I don't think so…it-it's connected to a call…."

Kozoku raised an eyebrow, "To who?"

She leaned the phone into Nakamori's light, "With…Takagi-kun?" _What the - this is my phone!_

Shiratori quickly leaned over and ended the call. "I think it's safe to assume that when you were caught, those men took your cell phones? If so, it's very unlikely that they left your phone here by accident when they escaped, in the middle of a call, and for you to find." He quickly keyed through the caller list, "Apparently you've been on the phone with whoever has Takagi-kun's phone for over an hour. Whoever it was has been listening in, probably to see if you were still alive."

"That's ridiculous," said Hoshiro, "They didn't leave you for dead!"

Nakamori sighed, "On the contrary, they led them here, knowing which warehouse was old and dying, weather out of the picture. I wouldn't be surprised if they purposely tampered with the support beams for the chance the storm would bring them down and land on you two." He plucked the pliers out from under a fallen chair, "Here," he muttered, tossing them to Shiratori, "Cut him out and let's get out of here before the rest of the ceiling falls on us."

"Kozoku-san, help Satou-san downstairs. She injured her ankle," said Shiratori.

The throbbing in her head was only getting worse as the officer helped her towards the stairs. While in the room she had been hoping to get a glimpse of Takagi to relieve her fears of him being seriously hurt. However, Shiratori had purposely kept the flashlight aimed away from her partner the entire time, which only caused her fears to elevate.

"Are you sure you're alright, Satou-keiji?" Kozoku asked, as he supported her out.

She barely nodded, her grip on him tightening, "My head…is pounding…." Her eyelids felt heavy as the pounding got worse. Halfway down the steps, her eyes finally closed as she slipped out of consciousness, but not before hearing the wail of approaching sirens….

* * *

"_She's coming around…_"

"_You said that five minutes ago, Doctor, and nothing's happened yet_."

"_Miwako? Miwako!_"

Her eyes slowly opened and she looked around. She was in the hospital with a doctor, Chiba, and Yumi by her side.

"You gave us quite a scare," said Chiba, "How are you feeling?"

"Awake," Satou muttered, rubbing her head. "How long…?"

"You've been asleep for a few hours now," said the doctor, "Your ankle has a serious sprain and you had quite the bump on your head, but your recovery looks good. We'll keep you here for the rest of the night for observation, but as of now, I don't see a problem with releasing you sometime tomorrow as long as you take it easy."

"Rest of the night?" Satou asked, "What time is it?"

"Nearly midnight," said Chiba as the doctor walked out, "The storm just let up. Megure-keibu only just allowed us to leave the station."

"Only just allowed you to leave…but Shiratori-kun…?"

Chiba smiled, "Nakamori-keibu dragged him out under the guise of a Kid heist. Little did he know a heist _did_ come in."

"They're both in the hallway, talking to Megure-keibu," said Yumi, "Your mother was also here, but you just missed her."

A feeling of dread made its way back into Satou's thoughts, "And Takagi-kun?"

Chiba and Yumi exchanged looks.

"Is he alright?"

"Well…."

"He's still unconscious," said Shiratori, walking in, "Aside from whatever Toshiro had done to him, the age and damage of the warehouse combined with the storm did the rest. There's a deep cut in his forehead and several bruised ribs. The doctors are keeping him in Intensive Care, but they're not entirely sure if…_when_ he'll wake up."

"When can I see him?" Satou asked.

Chiba frowned, "I'm sorry Satou-san, but Megure-keibu isn't letting anyone but hospital staff and a bodyguard in his room right now."

"Why not?"

Shiratori took a deep breath, "We were right in assuming someone placed your phone back at the scene sometime after those men initially left, probably to know if you survived the storm. In the collapse, one of the ceiling lights fell and shattered, and some of the shards cut Takagi-kun's hand. Sometime before the blood completely dried, a letter found its way into his possession."

"Among other things, it contained a mix of threats and obscenities concerning if he survived," said Chiba, "This Toshiro is quite dangerous."

"Megure-keibu and I agree that Toshiro or one of his associates might use this opportunity to get to Takagi-kun, or even you, before either of you recover. We put a guard in his room and Megure-keibu is working now to get one for you, but we need every man we can to find these guys," said Shiratori, "Road blocks were put up, and there are officers checking every car leaving Tokyo, but in this weather, they might have made it out before the blocks were put in place."

Satou nodded, gripping the bed covers tightly, "I…I want to see Takagi-kun though."

Shiratori sighed, "After the doctors clear you to leave. Megure-keibu doesn't want a lot of police going in and out of the room in case Toshiro has someone searching the hospitals for him."

Satou nodded sadly. The doctor returned, shooed the detectives out and gave her a glass and several pills. After assuring her they were just to get her to sleep the night, she took the medicine and leaned back against the pillows. Satou slowly drifted off to sleep, leaving her worries and nightmarish memories of the night and the peculiar dream of Oz for another day.

* * *

And now, I leave piles of candy for you all to enjoy while I run off to finish the next chapter. Happy Halloween!


	9. Cat and Mouse

Pheonickx made an amazing poster for this story! It's on her deviantart, and the link can be found on my profile, under the info for TMPOS. Check it out!

Disclaimer: See previous chapter.

* * *

Chapter 9

"I thought you said those beams would kill him."

"They should have. He must've moved before they came down."

"Well not only did they _not_ all come down, but the warehouse itself also failed to remove the evidence. Those cops survived and before you know it, that warehouse will be exploding with them. Did you retrieve the information?"

"I went back and looked, but I didn't see anything. Do you think they found it?"

"_Of course_ they did! They'd be blind not to."

"Boss, I'm sorry –"

"There's a chance to still recover the information. Start calling the hospitals nearest Shinagawa and figure out which one he's hiding away in. If he picked it up, there's still the possibility it's on his clothing somewhere. Otherwise we need to work from another angle. Find out who his partner was – she might have grabbed the documents. We need those back and deciphered before the police figure out what they are."

* * *

"I'm so glad they released you this morning," said Satou's mother. "I was so worried yesterday, especially when that officer called and said you were at the hospital!"

Satou nodded, "I'm alright now though, and thanks for the change of clothes."

Her mother smiled, "I was almost positive you wouldn't want to leave in that dirty mess you were admitted in. While you're home I'll take that suit to be cleaned for you. Just remember that the doctor doesn't want you back at work for a couple of days. You're supposed to be home _resting_."

Satou sighed, "Yes, yes, I know. I don't go back to headquarters until next week." She stared out the window, "But once I do go back on duty, I won't rest until that whole organization is locked up."

Her mother sighed in defeat.

They walked down the hall towards the nurses' station when Satou suddenly stopped, "Eh, do you think you can grab some lunch? I haven't really eaten anything since yesterday afternoon."

Her mother nodded, "Sure, Do you want me to get something from the hospital cafeteria or maybe that new restaurant down the road?"

"It doesn't matter, the cafeteria I guess. I just want to visit someone here before we leave. I'll meet you downstairs in about 20 or so minutes."

Satou stepped off the elevator on the next floor to see Chiba and Megure at the far end of the hall.

"Ah, Satou-kun," said Megure, "I thought you were heading home."

"I am, but I wanted to see Takagi-kun first before I left."

Megure and Chiba exchanged looks. "He's still unconscious," said Megure, "The doctors say there's no change."

Satou looked around Chiba to the room behind him. "Is it alright to go in? Last night…"

"Last night we picked up someone from the organization lurking near the hospital. For all we knew, the rest of the gang could have been in the building, so we didn't take any chances. For now though, you can go in, there's something to show you anyways."

He led her inside, "Can you excuse us for a moment?" he said to the guard. The cop seated beside the bed nodded and quietly exited, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

Satou sat down in the now-empty chair and took a look next to her. Takagi was propped against several pillows, with enough bandages wrapped around his head to completely hide his hair. She saw how incredibly pale he was, as well as the machine pumping air into his lungs.

"I didn't expect him to be in such shape," Satou said quietly.

"I thought Shiratori told you the prognosis?" said Megure.

"Apparently, he left out quite a bit," Satou muttered.

"Not by much," said the inspector, "Takagi-kun was put on the oxygen tank a few hours ago. The doctors believe that once he regains consciousness, the chances of him fully recovering are high. He just needs to wake up. The only problem is that he could be like this for days, even weeks."

"But…he _will_ regain consciousness…won't he?"

"It's about 50-50 right now," Chiba said quietly, "the doctors have done all they can. It's up to him now."

"But this is what we wanted to show you," said Megure, pulling an envelope from his jacket.

"It's a photocopy of what was found on Takagi-kun when they were getting him prepped for surgery," said Chiba, "Did you find it before meeting up with those thugs?"

Satou shook her head, taking it and looking it over, "I've never seen it before. Maybe he had it on him before we went inside."

"No, that's not the case," said Megure, "We found Toshiro's prints on it as well as two others'. We're assuming they're additional members of the criminal organization. The only fingerprints of Takagi-kun that we found were those smudged with blood."

"If he didn't have this on him beforehand, which is what we suspect, then sometime between you losing consciousness and being rescued, he must have found it."

Satou carefully pulled out the contents and shuffled through them, "These…these look like forged documents. This letter looks official, but the proper signature approval isn't on it…and this one here doesn't make much sense at all."

"We think one of them might mention something about the stolen ammunition and weapons from Osaka," said Megure, "But we won't know until the papers are decoded."

"Once we do though," Chiba began, "This could be the perfect opportunity to catch these guys. If we can decode this and it lays out their next heist or shipment of stolen goods, we might be able to recover the evidence and make an arrest at the same time."

Satou frowned, "They might have been planning on meeting over this information today but Takagi-kun and I pretty much messed that up. We probably chased them there because of the contents in this envelope. When they left in such a hurry, they might have accidentally left this behind and then Takagi-kun must have found it."

Megure took the envelope back, "There's still a chance that those men might return to the warehouse and look for this. When they don't find it, they might link it back to you."

"Keibu, what do you think they're going to do? They're not going to storm headquarters and steal it back from the evidence logs."

"Well, no, that they wouldn't do – not unless they were crazy. The least we can do for now is watch the warehouse and decode these papers as soon as possible. Takagi-kun knew a lot of what went on in the organization. He's decoded several messages already. He might have some idea of what these papers say…."

Satou looked sadly beside her, "I don't think he's going to be able to help anytime soon…."

* * *

"Miwako, are you still asleep?" Her mother knocked on her bedroom door. "We're going to be late for your follow-up." She finally opened the door, "Miwako? …Where could she have possibly gone?"

Her eyes fell on the table by the door where her daughter's car keys were kept at night. It was still fairly early in the morning, and the keys were missing. "Oh, I bet she's…wait, no – Yumi-kun is working today so she can't be at her place…unless…."

...

"You know you're not supposed to be here until Monday," Shiratori called as he got out of his car.

Satou paused halfway to the parking garage's elevator, "I'm not staying long."

Shiratori caught up to her and shook his head, "You can't fool anyone, Satou-san. You're dressed for work. Would you have bothered to kill yourself in heels with a busted ankle, to come in here, on your day off, if you weren't staying long? You and I both know that you're here to nag the coding department on the documents we found."

Satou sighed and jabbed hard at the button for the elevator, "Fine. You win."

He heard the elevator approaching and saw her tapping her other foot impatiently. "How's your ankle?"

"…Better."

Shiratori raised an eyebrow, "Does your mother know you're trying to get into work today?"

Satou glared at him, "It won't take long for her to put two and two together. I'm skipping a doctor's appointment. Megure-keibu probably already knows and is just _waiting _for me to get into Division One so he could send me home. But he needs me there to help in this case."

"Don't hold your breath. The doctor won't clear you until Monday, and they sure won't be pleased that you're avoiding a checkup. You're supposed to take it easy."

Satou rolled her eyes as they stepped into the elevator, "I can take it easy at my desk."

The ride up the shaft was quiet, until the doors whooshed open. Not even three steps out did Satou slip on the floor.

Shiratori quickly grabbed her arm before she met the tiles. "Careful. The storm damaged a fair section of the building. We're sharing headquarters with Division II until their room gets cleaned up."

"Oh…so it's going to be a crazy day, isn't it?" _Great…._

"Megure-keibu and Nakamori-keibu haven't stopped butting heads since they were stuck together the other night. I'd be surprised if there's no one sitting around watching a fight."

Satou paused outside the door and glanced worriedly at Shiratori. She could hear a rather long string of swears, with "Kid" inserted at various intervals.

"Well, Nakamori-keibu's in a wonderful mood," he said, pushing through the doors. "Sometime after going to get you, a notice arrived here, so he's been rather busy."

Satou looked about. Never before had she seen the investigation room so full of life. Most of the detectives from Division Two were hunched over desks on one half of the room, various papers all over the place. Meanwhile, the Division I detectives were huddled in the corners trying to avoid Nakamori as much as possible. She sighed as her desk was being commandeered by the Taskforce. The only desk near her that wasn't being covered in Kid material was Takagi's. She hesitantly sat down. "Where's Megure-keibu?"

Shiratori sat at his own station, next to the chaos that was Megure's desk. At the moment, Nakamori had papers of all sorts strewn all over it. "Looks like he's not around. Neither is Chiba-kun. They might be out on a case…which means he can't send you home."

"He wouldn't send me home in the first place," said Satou, "Even if he did, it wouldn't stop me from working from there anyways." She frowned, "Where would Takagi-kun have kept his notes from working undercover?"

"Megure-keibu might have given them to the decoders," said Shiratori.

Nakamori pulled himself away from Kid's notice and dropped a thick envelope in front of her. "Megure predicted you'd be stubborn enough to come in today. He's out on a case, but he told me to warn you that if you stay here working for more than an hour, you will be escorted home. Is that clear?"

Satou sighed, "Yes, keibu," she said flatly, "I won't overexert myself and I will leave before Megure-keibu gets back from his case and gives me the lecture of a lifetime."

Nakamori shrugged, "I don't care how long you stay, and I'm just a messenger. Just be out of here before he gets back. How's that leg?"

"It's better…I guess." Satou picked up the envelope, "What is this?"

"The files you were looking for. Copies were sent to other departments to decode. Your partner kept a long series of logs and observations about this gang. This Toshiro character has earned him quite a list of charges, of course now there's at least one count of assaulting an officer and resisting arrest to add to the list. We'll also need Takagi's and your statements of what went down at the warehouse."

"Did the forensic report come in yet?" Shiratori asked.

"The ceiling beams in that room alone was tampered with. The other storerooms with fallen beams didn't have the cleanly cut edges that those had. The storm might have brought them down, but someone had sawed them through first. Had you had died the other night; someone wanted it to look as much of an accident as possible. We've got a manhunt going on for Toshiro and every associate listed in these files, but the lead man is sneakier than Kid."

Shiratori pulled a few sheets of paper out of the stack and looked them over, "This one looks like Takagi-kun started cheat-sheeting some sort of code. From what's been deciphered, it sort of resembles a shipping notice, but the rest of it makes no sense."

Nakamori scanned it over, "I've got enough on my plate with this new Kid crap to spend a lot of time over it. I swear the Suzuki Financial Group has jewels coming out of their –"

"Say, keibu," Satou began, a thought crossing her mind, "When Kid letters get cryptic, who has the best time figuring them out?"

"Depends on the note. At times, his letters are quite childish. Sometimes Hakuba Saguru lends a hand, but he's out of the country right now. Usually the letters are fairly straightforward, but if the Suzuki family is involved, Mouri-san is called in, and he always brings the kid who fends Kid off."

The next thing Shiratori knew, he was driving towards Beika. "Why exactly are we going to Mouri-san for help on this?"

"Because everyone in headquarters is far too busy preparing to let Kid slip away – or repairing the building - to have to worry about this code. For all we know, Toshiro could be planning another operation tonight, or even right now."

Shiratori sighed and turned down another street, "Are you writing out your report now? Why didn't you do it back at the station?"

"I couldn't stand the other detectives giving me sideways looks. I don't need to be reminded of the mess I got myself and Takagi-kun into. I made the call to enter that warehouse, and because of it Takagi-kun is lucky to be alive in the hospital where the doctors aren't even sure if he'll even live. If I had waited for backup, none of this would have happened."

Shiratori slammed on the brakes and pulled over. He turned quickly to face her, "Satou-san, you need to get out of this brood have yourself in. There was no way of knowing how things would go down that night. The only one to blame for the turn of events is Toshiro and his men. Takagi-kun knew the risks of being caught as a spy in the organization and he knew perfectly well what he was getting himself into. You are the _last_ person he would blame for this happening. You both were doing your duty, and now you need to refocus your energy not on what happened in the past because that can't change. You need to keep yourself on now if you want a shred of a chance to catch these men."

Satou stared at him wide-eyed.

"You need to keep a cool head. They're playing it smart since we caught one of them the other night, and that man has yet to utter a word. If we're going to catch them before they commit any more foul play, then we need to play smarter. And if you can't, then I will turn the car around and go right back to the station."

Satou continued to just gape at him, but after a minute raised an eyebrow, a small smile playing on her lips, "It's _my _car you're driving, Shiratori-kun."

"Yes, but I've got the keys."

Satou returned to her report, writing furiously, "Let's go see Mouri-san."

Checking the road, Shiratori pulled back into traffic. "What makes you so sure he's not out on a case? The detective agency could be deserted."

Satou grinned at her paper, "No. There's a live Yoko concert on now. If _anything_, he's glued to the television."

Parking in front of the cafe, the two detectives made their way up to the second floor and knocked sharply on the door. To their surprise, it was Ran who answered. "Satou-keiji and Shiratori-keibu! Come in!" She closed the door before adding, "I'm sorry the office is such a mess. He came home late last night and drank while watching Yoko…if I had known you were coming…."

"It's alright, Ran-chan," said Satou, "Is Mouri-san here?"

"He's upstairs sobering up," said Ran, "I'll get him for you."

"Say, Ran-san, did he see the Kid's newest note?"

Ran nodded at Shiratori, "I believe so. Conan-kun was looking at it last though. I'm not sure where he put it. Make yourselves comfortable, I'll go get him."

"How long do you expect us to be here?" Shiratori asked, sitting on the couch.

"If what I'm expecting to happen happens, not long," said Satou.

A few minutes later, Kogoro entered the office, followed closely by Ran, and with his eyes focused on a photocopy of Kid's notice, Conan.

"Good morning, Mouri-san," said Shiratori, getting up, "Sorry to drop in like this."

"Eh, it's alright," said the private detective, wincing, "What do you need my help for?"

"We need help with this code," said Shiratori, pulling an envelope from his suit, "The coders are too busy worrying over Kid's latest heist."

Kogoro took the envelope and sat at his desk. Ran peered over his shoulder as he scanned over the contents. "Do you know what this is supposed to be in the end?" he asked. Conan stretched to see around Shiratori and Kogoro to see the contents of the mysterious message. Satou stayed at the couch, her own copy of the code pressed flat on her lap.

"We think it will be the next heist or transfer of the stolen weapons and ammunition from Osaka," said Shiratori, "The smugglers caused a lot of havoc; we picked these letters up after raiding a warehouse in Shinagawa, as well as a portion of the stolen ammunition."

Kogoro frowned, "It's hard to make heads or tails over this. Have you ever intercepted code like this before while dealing with these crooks?"

"We had one officer undercover, but he's in the hospital after an accident," said Shiratori, stealing a quick sideways glance at Satou. She was staring holes into her copy, as if deep in thought.

The sudden ringing of a cell phone made them all jump. Satou got up and quickly left the office, answering the call just outside the door.

"Is Satou-keiji alright?" Ran asked, "She's limping."

Shiratori sighed, "She hurt her ankle at the warehouse raid in Shinagawa. Technically she isn't supposed to be on duty until Monday, but even if Megure-keibu took her badge, it wouldn't stop her from investigating."

"Who was the injured officer, Shiratori-keibu? Satou-keiji doesn't seem like herself."

The door to the detective agency opened and Satou came back inside. She was holding her cell phone so tight that her knuckles were turning white.

"Satou-san?"

"The hospital called," she said, slumping back down onto the couch, "They've upgraded his condition. One doctor believes his head injury might be too severe for a proper recovery."

Kogoro and Ran looked questionably at Shiratori.

"It's Takagi-kun," he said quietly. He quietly went into detail of the past few days, keeping it as brief as possible, but Satou wasn't listening. She was so involved at staring at the coded paper that she _barely _noticed someone slip out the door.

"Is Satou-keiji going to be alright?" Ran asked.

Shiratori glanced over and shrugged, "She's violating a doctor's order to stay home by forcing herself into the investigation. Yumi-san wants me to keep an eye on her, so she won't do anything reckless."

Satou suddenly stood up, clutching the folder close to her chest, "Well, we've got to get going, Mouri-san. Thanks for your help."

"I'll hold onto this copy and call you if I figure anything out."

"You'll let us know about Takagi-keiji, won't you?" Ran asked, worriedly, "Is it alright to visit him?"

Shiratori shook his head, "For his protection, the only ones allowed into his room are officers and hospital staff. He's part of a high profile case and the organization now knows he's been spying on them for the past month. The probability of an assassin is high. We already stopped a possible attempt the other night when we arrested one of the criminals, but there's no way to know if someone else will attempt anything."

Satou nodded numbly, "We'll keep you updated. Turning, she led Shiratori out of the agency and to her car.

"I forgot to ask what the Kid letter was," said Shiratori absentmindedly as he started the engine, "I've never seen Conan-kun so focused before."

"That note isn't our priority," said Satou, "Nakamori-keibu can take care of that. We need to track down this organization." She began flipping through items in the folder, "Maybe Takagi-kun had some sort of decoding notes stashed in here somewhere…."

"Where exactly am I going?" Shiratori asked.

"I don't care, anywhere but headquarters. There's no place to concentrate when we're sharing desks with Division II."

"Neh, Satou-keiji, what kind of organization is this?"

Shiratori nearly ran a stop sign.

"_Conan-kun!_ When did you get in here?" he demanded.

"About five minutes before you did."

"I'm taking you back to Mouri-san's."

"No, I think Conan-kun can help us," said Satou, "Remember the Tokyo Bomber case?"

"Vaguely. Most vividly the bomber blew up my car."

"Well, Conan-kun and his friends figured out where the bombs were located. He might find something in this mess that we've been missing."

Shiratori huffed and returned to the road.

Satou turned around in her seat, "Conan-kun, the organization we're after involve themselves with mostly weapons smuggling in and out of Japan. Most recently, they stole from a large depot in Osaka. We were able to recover some of the evidence in a warehouse in Shinagawa. Takagi-kun had been working undercover and was able to penetrate rather deeply into their chain of command."

"Takagi-kun helped in getting a few of them arrested, but they were becoming suspicious of a spy," said Shiratori, not exactly pleased to be sharing the case information with a child, "Takagi-kun had kept up the charade and during that time, only walked into headquarters at night to give reports. He and Satou-san were returning from a follow-up unrelated investigation in Beika when they spotted their ringleader. They were told to pursue and chased him to Shinagawa. I already told you the rest…."

Conan nodded, "What I don't understand is why Takagi-keiji went undercover. Isn't that a job for another division?"

"Takagi-kun was chosen by higher-ups," said Shiratori, "He's young and hadn't previously worked on any other case pertaining to the criminals. We were worried that using someone already investigating could tip them off."

Conan leaned forward, just realizing that his interest in this case was pushing back his childish façade. "I want to help catch the bad guys," he said in a slightly higher-pitched voice, "They can't get away with hurting Takagi-keiji!"

Satou leaned back, "Takagi-kun had this on him when he was admitted to the hospital. It's a code of some sort. We think it might be where the rest of the stolen goods are, but there's no way to tell until we can decipher this. The coders at headquarters are all busy with Kid's notice right now." She handed a copy to Conan.

Conan stared intently at the jumble of text, "Where did you find this, Satou-keiji?"

"It was in Takagi-kun's possession when we found him," said Shiratori, before Satou could respond, "Whether he found it on his own or it was deliberately placed there is a big unknown. We won't know that unless either Takagi-kun wakes up or we can arrest the men responsible."

"Neh, Shiratori-keibu, could this be a trap to lure police away from their real target?"

Shiratori pulled up at a small café near the edge of Shinagawa. "Megure-keibu thought so. That's why we need to decipher this. For all we know, it could be nothing but gibberish, or it could lead us to the stolen weapons."

A muffled ring broke the following silence. Pulling his phone out of his suit, Shiratori quickly glanced at the caller's name. "This is Shiratori…yes…I see…thank you."

"Who was it?" Satou asked.

Shiratori shook his head, "Nothing to worry about. I'll tell you later." _Odd…_

Conan followed them into the small restaurant and to the farthest booth from the door.

Why are we here, Shiratori-kun?"

"Before we left for Mouri-san's place, I got word that someone resembling this Aiku woman frequented this area, especially this restaurant. We could get a lead by just sitting here."

"She would recognize me though," Satou protested, "I don't see the point."

"That's why your back is to the door and window, and Conan-kun is with us," said Shiratori, "Who brings children to an official investigation?"

Satou gave him a pointed stare. _Wasn't he objecting to Conan-kun's help in the car?_

"Alright, alright, so he and his friends helped us out on several big cases but generally speaking, we don't drag citizens around."

The waitress came by and delivered the detectives some coffee and juice for Conan.

"In any case," Satou sighed, "The only thing I was able to get off of this sheet so far is that the same few characters are repeated over and over again."

Conan glanced over at Satou's copy, "Takagi-keiji didn't have any notes?"

Satou shook her head, "No, the only thing in this folder is reports and general observations."

Shiratori frowned, "Satou-san, can I see your phone for a moment?"

Satou was too busy watching Conan grab the paper and start writing to wonder why he needed her phone. "Hm? Oh, sure."

He took it, pulled out his own cell, and started filing through the recent calls on both of them. Getting up, he walked outside to make a phone call.

Satou watched with amazement as after ten or so minutes, Conan began scribbling sense out of the cryptic gibberish.

"Conan-kun, how did you figure that out!"

Conan paled, "I…uh…I mean…"

"Probably from watching and following Mouri-san all the time," said Shiratori, sitting back down and looking over at Conan's solution, "How positive are you in this?"

Conan flashed a determined grin, "Very."

Shiratori sprang back up, "I'm going to radio this to headquarters."

Satou quickly gathered the folder, beckoning Conan to follow and left the restaurant. She had just opened the backseat for Conan when a black car drove by, with two very familiar passengers watching her as they zoomed past.

She hurried into the driver's seat, grabbed her keys from Shiratori and revved up the engine. "Call for back-up, Shiratori-kun," she snapped, "Hold on Conan-kun."

"_What are you doing!_" Shiratori cried, holding onto the seat as she kicked the car into gear and zoomed off.

"I saw them," Satou said fiercely, "The ones from last night, Ichiro and Aiku, and they will _not _be getting away. _Not this time_."

"What about Conan-kun? We can't just drag him with us on this chase!"

"There's no time to take him back to the Detective Agency," said Satou.

Shiratori placed the siren on the top of the car when he was thrown back against the seat as Satou floored the gas pedal.

Conan recalled when he snuck into her car during the case where the bank manager had killed his wife. He had been thrown around by her then-crazy driving in her mad rush to get to the scene. But he had never seen her so reckless on the road. He grabbed the seat belt as she made a tight swerve into oncoming traffic, not letting the black sedan out of her sight.

Shiratori nearly went through the windshield as the car came to a sudden stop at the pier.

"Stay in the car, Conan-kun," Satou ordered, reaching into the glove compartment and pulling out a pistol, "Whatever happens, _you stay here._ Got it?"

Conan nodded, "Alright." He didn't expect to be thrown into the police chase, and as much as he wanted to help, the seriousness of her look practically begged him to sit out. At this point, he had expected to be tagging along with Kogoro at one of Suzuki's galleries to catch Kid.

Once Shiratori finished radioing headquarters and left the car, Conan pulled out his copy of Kid's most recent notice.

"_When red flashes across the city, I will appear from the sky and obtain Freedom._"

Conan scratched his head, deep in thought. _This is probably Kid's shortest note to date. What does 'red' mean, and what does that have to do with freedom? Is he referring to the Freedom Ring on display at the Suzuki Modern Art Gallery? _According to what he had heard from Sonoko, there was a sapphire in the gallery with several fractures. Based on the angle the gem was held, the sapphire glittered like a star. The ring band was of white gold and encrusted with rubies and diamonds. Due to the colors red, white, and blue, the gem had been nicknamed the Freedom Ring based on the similarities to the American Flag. _But it's one of the least-expensive jewels they have,_ Conan thought, _of all things, why go after that!_

… "Back-up is on its way," said Shiratori as they flattened themselves against a wall in the shadows, "And Megure-keibu is going to give you the lecture of a lifetime when you make it back to the squad room."

"I'm sure he will," Satou muttered, peering around a corner. "If we were a little closer in that chase, I would have seen which way they ran!"

"Closer!" Shiratori hissed, "If you were any closer you would have run them off the road! I don't see how your car survives your driving style!"

Satou shrugged, "We're officers. Sometimes you got to be a little crazy."

As they edged closer to the black sedan, a large shadow flew overhead. Satou froze, "What the heck was that?"

Shiratori shrugged, "Probably a large bird."

A gun was fired, and the bullet whizzed by, narrowly missing Shiratori's ear. He pushed her behind him, ducking back around the corner. "I think we found them."

…Conan's head jerked upward once the first gunshot was fired. He was about to jump out of the car and start to look for the two officers when he heard the sound of additional sirens in the city…

…Splitting up, Satou went around the left side of the warehouse, while Shiratori took the right. As she moved away from the wall, the dark shadows from mounds of crates and small alleyways grew larger. She carefully made her way through one crate alley, and peered around at the other end. Just as she stepped out to check a new wall of crates, something shot out in the dark, caught her around her ankle, and yanked her backwards. Off-balance, Satou gasped as she landed directly on her bruised ankle. In the fall, her gun slipped from her fingers and flew out of reach. Realizing that the pain in her leg wasn't going to let her back on her feet in that moment, she had barely grabbed hold of her throbbing ankle when she heard two guns click.

"We meet again, keiji," a chilly, yet familiar voice called out in the dark.

Satou looked around for her gun, but in the darkness, she couldn't find it.

Toshiro crouched down to her level, a small light strapped to his wrist. He had a gun in one hand, aimed at her, and was waving her pistol in the other. "You really need to keep a better handle on these," he smirked, "They're quite dangerous in the wrong hands. And if they keep falling into _my _hands, I'll never have to smuggle another weapon ever again."

She glared at him as he pocketed her gun, "Now let's get down to business as there's something we need to discuss," he said, "But don't you try anything funny or I'll put a hole in your pretty face."

"I have nothing to discuss with you," Satou glared at him, "Unless, of course, it's your arrest. Back-up is already on its way."

"I expect that," Toshiro said calmly, "However, I also expect to be long gone by the time they arrive. At the moment, however, I don't see any additional police cars, nor do I hear anyone else, so I think it is safe to assume you and I are the only ones here."

"You can't be certain back-up isn't here either. Any tricks up your sleeve won't work."

Toshiro shrugged, "You can't be sure that they _are _here, either. And I don't need a lot of time. I have a schedule to keep, you know. So let's have a little chat."

"I thought you said you were busy." She tried blocking out the pain shooting up her leg.

"I did…but I think I can fit us in," he aimed the light down a bit, "Looks like you managed to escape that warehouse with a bruise or two…."

"No thanks to you," Satou spat, "You tried to kill us."

"That's how life rolls," said Toshiro, "Don't sound so upset about it – you're still alive…did _he_ survive?"

Satou glared at him.

"It's not a hard question, keiji. I need some information from you. I'm positive the police searched through that warehouse inside and out. Find anything of interest?"

"Of course we did, and we found the stolen ammunition," Satou winced, trying to stand up, "You stole hundreds of weapons from an armory in Osaka. You left half of the cargo there in plain sight."

"Find anything else – and sit down, you're not going anywhere."

Satou didn't move, even though the nerves in her leg screamed otherwise.

Toshiro had no time to react as Satou rushed at him, knocking the gun from his hand. He managed to push her away and lunge for the fallen weapon, but in his attempt, he accidentally kicked it further away. Satou reached into her suit, grasping for her handcuffs as she attempted to pin the man's arms down. He managed to free one arm and reached into his jacket. They continued to struggle back and forth until one of the two guns went off….

* * *

"Only ten minutes left until the Kid shows up," said Nakamori, "Keep an eye out for anyone and everyone."

"Sir, what's that?" asked one of the officers, pointing out a window of the darkened art gallery.

"What do you mean? It's just a balloon…with…Kid's caricature on it? _What the hell?_!"

As the balloon floated past, the hidden officers could make out a small speaker attached to the bottom. As if on cue, Kid's cheery voice rang out for all of the officers to hear.

"_Good evening, keibu-san! I'm sure you're all ready for my arrival, but I'm sorry to announce that the Freedom Ring is _not _my target for tonight's heist. Red has flashed across the city and I am already at the real stage of tonight's show. However, I cannot perform without a suitable audience, and I have left a clue to the true location with Megure-keibu at police headquarters. Good luck!_"

Immediately after the message ended, the balloon popped.

Nakamori's eye twitched as he yanked out his cell and jammed his fingers at the buttons.

"_Division One, Megure-keibu speaking._"

"This is Nakamori. Get any strange notices or phone calls in the past hour or so?"

"_Well no, not really. The only odd thing we've seen is a call from Shiratori-kun, requesting back-up on a pursuit._"

"What's so odd about that?"

"_Well, nothing really, and we just sent out a squad like he had requested. It's just odd because the location in question was down by the pier. Shiratori-kun was supposed to be watching over Takagi at the hospital tonight. It _is _possible that he switched duties with someone._"

"How long ago did he call?"

"_About two minutes ago. He said that he and Satou-kun had chased Toshiro clear across town. But we haven't received any calls besides that._"

Nakamori hung up, and then quickly dialed another number. He was on the line no more than two minutes before he flashed a triumphant smirk. _I've got you now, Kaitou Kid!_"

* * *

"Let's _not _try that again, hm?" Toshiro wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, clearing the blood off of his lip. "You put up a good fight, but not good enough."

His weapon lost in the scuffle, he now held Satou's, and while she was stunned he took her fallen handcuffs and bound her wrists. Now, Satou had propped herself up against the wall of crates, clutching her bad leg which was now sporting a bullet wound.

"You can put as many holes in me as you'd like, but it would only get you a deeper prison sentence," she cringed. _Where is Shiratori-kun!_

Toshiro chuckled, shaking his head, "Still bent on putting me away, aren't you? I've eluded you all for _months_; you'd have to be some sort of magician to get me in jail. Now back to our little chat. What did you find in that warehouse?"

Satou glared, "Anything of interest to you has already been logged into evidence."

"I'm not talking about weapons. I want the code my associates foolishly left behind."

"What code?" She could see red flashes in the distance. _It's about time; I just have to stall a little longer…_

"Don't play dumb, keiji. We've been following everything you've been up to since you've regained consciousness in the hospital." He held up her recently-confiscated cell phone, "A bit odd that this turned up at the warehouse again after our last meeting. We still have your partner's. It made eavesdropping that much easier."

"We assumed it was dropped when you fled Shinagawa," said Satou, "Are you saying you put it back?"

"Of course," said Toshiro, "What better way of knowing if the both of you survived or not if your phone suddenly stopped working. Even if the battery died, a call would still go to your voicemail. But should the ceiling fall on it, I'm afraid there's nothing to salvage."

He leaned forward, "I know you have the code with you, you were looking at in a café. If it's not on you, it must be in your car, so getting it back shouldn't be too much of a problem. And…" he flipped through the contact list on her phone, "Once I get that taken care of, I'll have an appointment to make with one to-be-dead cop."

The red flashes grew brighter as the sound of at least ten police cars stopped on the other side of the warehouse.

Toshiro scowled, "I guess back-up is early. I didn't expect them here for at least another ten minutes."

Satou could have sword she heard a car door slam from the direction her car was parked, rather than from where the flashing red lights were coming from. She could also hear Nakamori shouting. _Nakamori-keibu? What's he doing here?_

"…No matter though. They can chase me all they want, but as long as I have you, they won't make a move."

Out of the corner of her eyes, Satou could have sworn she saw something move along the roof of the warehouse.

Toshiro knelt down with the gun aimed right between her eyes, "Make a sound and you'll have a hole in your head to match the one in your leg."

With all the strength she could muster, Satou swung her uninjured leg out, knocking him off of his feet. "_Nakamori-keibu!" _She was lucky enough that she ducked her head completely to the ground after her outburst to avoid the bullet aiming for her head; instead, it embedded itself into her arm.

"You're just asking for a death wish, aren't you?" Toshiro hissed.

Satou grimaced, now clutching her arm tightly, "If it gets you put away, then so be it."

Nakamori's shouting grew louder as the Taskforce rounded the corner. Someone switched on the outer warehouse lights that had been off the entire time, flooding the entire alleyway with light. Nakamori aimed his gun at Toshiro, "Stop, you're surrounded. There's nowhere for you to run."

Toshiro glanced around at all the gun-wielding officers before roughly hoisting Satou up by her arm and pinning her against him in such a way that she had to rely on leaning primarily on her injured leg to stand. "I don't need to run," he said, "If any of you come closer, I'll shoot her."

Satou could have sworn she saw a small scurry of movement among the officers, yet none of them had gone anywhere.

"Let her go, Toshiro," Nakamori called, "You'll be arrested no matter what."

"I don't think so, keibu. The two of us have some unfinished business to take care of – _what the hell?_" he broke off as a pink puff of smoke erupted on the roof of the warehouse, drawing everyone's attention upward.

Toshiro was clutching her so tightly Satou could hardly move. Her vision was slowly fading out, but before she lost complete consciousness, she heard a fairly familiar voice call out from the rooftop….

"_Ladies and Gentlemen!"_

* * *

Only one more chapter of Part One to go!


	10. Return to Oz

This is the end of Part 1. Part 2 will begin in the next chapter, and not as a new story. Just a friendly FYI for you all. Have fun reading, and Happy Holidays!

Disclaimer: See previous chapter.

* * *

Chapter 10

_A flying soccer ball and several pink smoke bombs later…_

Shiratori glanced at his watch and then at the bed next to him. It was two in the morning and Takagi still hadn't stirred an inch. He had only been on watch for the past four hours, but it seemed like it should be well into morning. He sighed, at the same time there was a sharp rap on the door. Quickly glancing at his old rival, he quietly stepped out of the room. "Nakamori-keibu?"

"Thought you ought to know," Nakamori said, "We apprehended Toshiro about an hour ago in an almost shootout-turned-Kid-heist. Don't ask me how it all happened; the kid who follows Mouri-san around explained the riddle to us on the ride back to the Detective Agency. I'll give you the short version: Satou believed you were with her the entire day – Kid being you the entire time – and took it upon her to investigate the evidence left on Takagi. After chasing his main cronies clear across the city, she finds not them, but Toshiro himself at the pier. He proceeds to use her for target practice before the Taskforce shows up. Kid makes an appearance, all hell breaks loose, and Toshiro gets arrested. The end."

Shiratori blinked, trying to realize how ridiculous yet real the recap sounded, "Is Satou-san alright?"

"I spoke to the doctor before. No one can identify the officer that brought her here, but he had something pink stained on his clothes, according to the hospital staff. My guess is it was Kid, who once again, got away. She's still unconscious, but her injuries aren't too serious. The arm wound is a minor graze, and the leg was a clean bullet wound. There were no complications." He nodded to the door, "Any progress?"

Shiratori sighed, shaking his head, "Still unconscious. The doctor said his condition worsened even more. I'm ready to charge the man with another count of murder if Takagi-kun doesn't wake up by the trial date."

Nakamori crossed his arms, "Well, with their ringleader arrested, it's only a matter of time before the others are rounded up. Now that Kid got away…_again_…I sent the Taskforce on a manhunt. His cronies are as good as caught."

Shiratori nodded, "Let's hope. Has Satou-san's mother been notified?"

Nakamori nodded, "She just arrived and is in her room now. The doctor had already put her to sleep for the night though. If all goes well, she should be fine in the morning, but I doubt they'll let her leave so quickly, especially since the doctor is the one she was _supposed _to have her ankle follow-up with."

Shiratori glanced back at the room behind him, "Let's hope Takagi-kun shows some improvement in the morning…."

* * *

Satou woke the next morning to see Shiratori dozing in the chair next to the bed. _He must have gotten off duty from Takagi-kun's room…_

"Psst! Keiji-san!"

Satou looked around, but no one else was in the room. She sat up and pulled back the blanket on the bed. Her right arm and left ankle were wrapped in bandages. She looked up again. "Who's there?"

"Keiji-san, here, in the mirror!"

Shiratori began to wake up as soon as Satou gasped, "Kaitou Kid!"

"Well, no. I'm the Wizard – you remember, don't you? From Oz!"

Shiratori blinked. "The what…of what?"

Satou blinked, "I'll tell you later." She turned back to the Wizard in the mirror, "What are you doing in there?"

The Wizard sighed, "Not everything went as planned when you left Oz. The Witch's cronies took over the Hall as soon as you left, just before your partner was able to leave. They stormed the Emerald City, and locked me in a mirror – don't ask – before I could send Takagi-keiji back to Tokyo with you."

Satou gasped, "Then the reason Takagi-kun is still unconscious is because…"

"Right, he never left Oz. His consciousness is in a state of limbo. We need you to come back to Oz; set things right and free his mind before he gets caught in a state of unconsciousness forever."

Satou frowned, "I thought you said Oz didn't exist and that it was just a dream…what if I'm dreaming right now?"

"Takagi-san's coma is _no _dream, Satou-keiji. I had to get you out of Oz before the takeover. Now, the same way I got you out, I need to sneak you back in to fix the wrongs that have occurred. Without the ruby slippers, I can't send either of you back again."

Satou looked down at her leg, "I…I don't think I can this time…at least not by myself."

The Wizard looked over at Shiratori, "Take him with you then. The more help you have, the better. There are a few people left in the city that can be of assistance. It's the _only_ way to get Takagi-keiji out of his coma."

"Satou-san," Shiratori began, "While I have no idea what's going on, we _will _need Takagi-kun's testimonies to appropriately sentence Toshiro."

Satou looked down for a moment, and then nodded. "Let's go." Shiratori stepped out for a moment for her to get dressed. She pulled on her suit from the previous night, thankful the fabric was black to hide the blood from the night's adventure, but at the same time, wished her mother had brought her some new clothes.

When Shiratori walked back in, the Wizard put his hand to the glass of the mirror, "Ready?"

The two officers looked at each other. Satou nodded, "Yes, we're ready."

"Place your hands on the glass like mine. I'll pull you through. There's no telling where in Oz you will end up, or even if I'll be able to contact you again. Just get yourself to the Emerald City."

Satou took a step towards the mirror and had to be caught by Shiratori before she fell on her face.

"You shouldn't do this, Satou-san," said Shiratori, helping her back up, "You can barely stand. The doctors would never allow it."

"The doctors don't know that if we _don't_ go, Takagi-kun will never recover! Shiratori-kun, nothing you say or do will stop me from going, so let's stop wasting time. I can't do this alone."

Shiratori sighed, nodded, and helped her to the mirror. They placed their hands up, mimicking the Wizard's stance on the opposite side.

"I'm going to pull you in now," said the Wizard, "I would close your eyes, it might be a bad dizzy trip."

Shiratori kept a tight hold onto Satou as he felt himself pulled through the glass. He closed his eyes as they began to spin into a void, faster and faster. Shiratori felt Satou go limp beside him until he too lost consciousness….

_To be Continued…_

* * *

First peek at the summary for Part 2, coming early 2011!

_Back in the Land of Oz to save her partner, Satou finds that things are not how she remembered. The citizens of Munchkinland once again live out of fear, the Emerald City is deserted, and Oz has been taken over by mysterious sorcerers. In order for her to set things right, Satou needs the ruby slippers, but how can she find them in a dangerous world where she has no idea where to start looking, and when everyone she knew is gone? _


	11. What's a Wheeler?

Disclaimer: See previous chapter.

* * *

Chapter 11 (Beginning of Part 2)

Dr. Sarukara grabbed a clipboard from the nurse's station and headed down the corridor to room 304. He knocked twice and entered. The officer seated by the bed quickly stood, "Sorry, but I will need to see your identification before you can continue."

"My ID?" Sarukara frowned, "You were on duty when I came here yesterday!"

The officer nodded, "I know, but I have my orders from Megure-keibu. No one but officers and hospital staff are allowed." He sat down after the doctor sighed and pulled out his identification card.

Sarukara began his routine examination when he suddenly stopped, and ran to the phone on the other side of the room.

"What is it?" asked the officer.

"We need to get this patient to the Intensive Care Unit right away – his condition has worsened."

The officer frowned. "What are his odds?"

"Hard to say. Some patients come out of comatose-states right away. Others might take weeks, or months, maybe even years. Unfortunately, not all are lucky enough to come out of one. Based on his previous injuries, I'd say he has a...maybe forty-percent chance. I would contact his family and his division if he is critical to a case."

The other officer nodded as the nurses hurried into the room, "What about Satou-keiji?"

"Her injuries aren't as severe. She's not in a life-threatening situation right now. Now, if you excuse me, I need to check on my other patients and get this one to ICU."

The officer waited for the doctor and nurses to leave before picking up and dialing the room phone. "Hello, Satou-san? This is Matsuhaki-keiji. I'm sorry to bother you at this hour, but your daughter has been injured while on duty…."

* * *

"Satou-san? Are you alright? Satou-san? _Satou-san!_"

Satou opened her eyes and looked around. She and Shiratori were lying in a grassy meadow. "I'm fine…I guess we made it."

Shiratori helped her up, "_Where _exactly is this Oz and _how _were you and Takagi-kun here before? And _why _was _Kaitou Kid stuck in a mirror?_!"

Satou sighed, "Long story short," she began, "Takagi-kun and I were knocked unconscious in that warehouse, and when we came to, we were here. We left some old farmhouse – don't ask how we even got inside – that some Munchkins said we fell from the sky and landed on an old witch. The only way for the two of us to get back to Tokyo was to travel on a yellow brick road to see the Wizard of Oz who lived in the Emerald City…and _why are you laughing?"_

Shiratori shook his head, "Sorry…it's just…the way you're describing it sounds like bizarre dream. Or something a suspect would make up in an interrogation."

Satou bit her lip, "...I suppose it does sound a little crazy, but the fact that we're here now proves this place must be real!"

Shiratori looked about, "I guess so. So where do we need to go from here?"

"Our best bet is to find the Yellow Brick Road. It leads to the Emerald City. The Wizard…or Kaitou Kid…said there were people in there that could help us."

"So where is this road supposed to be?"

Satou frowned, "Well, I'm not exactly sure. If we can find Munchkinland, I can remember the way from there."

"Just don't rush yourself," said Shiratori, "You'll only injure your ankle more, and I am _not _going to carry you all the way there."

Satou rolled her eyes, "We'll be fine." She limped off towards the trees, "Come on, Shiratori-kun, we've got a road to find!"

The inspector followed after her. As he passed by a large boulder, two black scratches along its surface seemed to follow the two, as if they were eyes. Once Shiratori had completely disappeared from view and into the trees, the scratches rotated around the backside of the rock and vanished…

…and reappeared again on an inner wall of a snow-covered mountain on the other side of Oz. A third scratch appeared under the other two, forming a mouth.

"_You're majesty,_" said the rock, _"_She _has returned to Oz…and with a new companion this time._"

"_I have no doubts as to why_", said a new voice, this one much more cunning and deeper than the first. It came from somewhere in the mountain wall. _"But it is sooner than I expected. Keep an eye on them. Blasted woman could ruin everything. …You…didn't see any more doves around, have you?_"

"_No, your majesty. Ever since the Wizard vanished, no doves have been seen around Oz._"

"_Excellent. Most excellent…._"

…Satou leaned against the nearest tree, slightly exhausted from both walking, and retelling her story in detail to Shiratori. "I thought we would have reached the road by now."

"Are you sure you know where we're going?" Shiratori asked, "Your story didn't mention many forests."

"We have to find Munchkinland," said Satou, "That's the starting point for the Yellow Brick Road – it's also where we met Kobayashi-san and the Witch of the West in the first place." She pushed herself off of the tree and pressed on, "I'm positive this is the right way!" She looked back and called over her shoulder, "You know, for someone who's not hurt at all, you're quite the slowpoke."

"You're not going to be able to keep up this pace for long, Satou-san. Your ankle is going to eventually give out."

"I hope to be in the Emerald City by then!"

Shiratori sighed, "Injuring yourself won't get you there. You told me that your trip from Munchkinland to the Emerald City was longer than a day's journey. Do you plan on walking the entire way?"

Satou paused and looked back, "We stopped to rest because Takagi-kun was hurt."

Shiratori's eyes trailed from a bandage half-hidden under her bangs to the wrappings on her ankle and raised an eyebrow, "Takagi-kun isn't here. _You _are, and this time, you're filling his injured shoes. When it gets dark, we'll stop for the night. No exceptions."

Satou scowled, "Fine. But it won't be light for much longer so let's go."

Shiratori sighed and began to follow her when something caught his eye. Clearly visible off to the side were rounded buildings, enough to make out a small village. "Satou-san!"

She made her way back, "What?"

He pointed towards the rounded rooftops, "Have you seen those buildings before?"

She followed his gaze and gasped, "That's it! That's Munchkinland!" Grabbing his arm, she yanked him forward, "No time to waste now!"

As they got closer, her heart sank bit by bit. The once-vibrant and cheery town looked rather deserted. The happy inhabitants were nowhere to be found.

"Are we looking for someone here?" Shiratori asked.

"Well, the mayor Edogawa Conan might know what's happened since I initially left."

"This place looks like a ghost town," said Shiratori, looking around. "I don't know how much help you will find here."

"_Psst! Satou-keiji!"_

They turned to see Ayumi, one of the ballerina girls peeking out from around a corner.

"Ayumi-chan!" Satou cried, "Are you the only one here?"

Ayumi shook her head, "We're hiding!" she was barely above a whisper, "Hiding from the Wheelers! They come and terrorize us because we're so small!"

"Wheelers," Satou frowned, "I don't remember them…where's the mayor?"

"Conan-kun and Ai-chan said they had business in the Emerald City and left the day after you arrived here. Genta-kun and the others have been keeping charge since their absence, but since the Wheelers arrived, we've lost all contact with the Emerald City!"

"Well, Shiratori-kun and I need to get to the Emerald City. Takagi-kun might still be there, and we've come to find him."

Ayumi opened her mouth to speak but then turned her head sharply to peer behind her. "I have to go," she squeaked, "Be safe!" she called as she disappeared into the alley.

Satou turned to Shiratori, "I don't understand…Munchkinland is such a cheerful little place…or at least it was. I don't get what could have happened!"

"Obviously these Wheelers destroyed any remainder of quaint normal life here," said Shiratori, "Are you sure you've never heard of these people?"

"I'm positive," she shook her head, "Originally, the only ones Takagi-kun and I encountered here were the Munchkins and the Emerald City citizens."

"We need to find our way to the City then, it seems all the answers we need are there." He turned back to Satou to find her standing in front of a farmhouse that looked very out of place. "Satou-san?"

"This is how we got here," she said quietly, barely above a whisper, "It was a warehouse on the inside, but this house on the outside. That gap over there is where it landed on the Wicked Witch of the East."

"That was what started this whole adventure of yours, wasn't it?"

She nodded, "I guess it's also the reason we're back." She looked down and gasped, "Oh no…."

Shiratori looked down, following her gaze, "What…yellow bricks?"

Satou looked along the path, "This…this _was _the Yellow Brick Road!"

Shiratori frowned, "He could see where there was once a road, but now the bricks had been separated and tossed about, as if a tornado tore the road apart.

"Come on, Shiratori-kun! This leads to the Emerald City!" She started down the battered path, running alongside the remains of the road.

_She's going to sprain her other ankle at this rate_. "Slow down, Satou-san!"

"Look," he said, once he caught up with her, "It's at least a two day journey to the Emerald City. If you keep exerting yourself like this then you won't even make it there."

Satou looked away.

Shiratori put a hand on her shoulder, "I know you want to get there in a hurry, but you'll do yourself no good if you rush like this. You shouldn't be walking on that ankle at all, let alone nearly running like you have been."

Satou looked back at him, "But –"

"Takagi-kun wouldn't want you to risk yourself in this manner for him. Look, I'm not ordering you as a senior officer; I'm asking you as a friend. Let's just slow down a bit and handle whatever comes as we get there. Whatever happens, we'll face it one step at a time, alright?"

"We should probably stop soon, there's no lamps along the road," said Satou after a long pause.

"Do you remember if there any places to find shelter?"

Satou bit her lip, "There was a farmhouse…but it's pretty far along. We didn't pass it until the second day of the trip."

"Where did you sleep then?"

"On the ground under a tree, Mouri-san watched over us."

"Mouri-san?" Shiratori asked, "Tantei-san?"

"No," she shook her head, "He's a scarecrow. We found him in a cornfield not too far from here."

"Oh that's right. I remember you telling me about that; Mouri the scarecrow, a tin man who looked like me and Chiba the lion?"

Satou nodded, "I think we'll pass that cornfield after we go around the next hill."

"Do you think this Mouri-san is back in the cornfield?"

Satou shook her head, "I don't think so. He's probably still in the Emerald City. I hope he isn't getting himself into some sort of trouble. He's not very coordinated."

Shiratori frowned, "...Satou-san...has it ever occurred to you that the people you've met on your journey here are all familiar to you? Mouri-san is a detective, who here becomes a scarecrow. Someone with my name is a tin man, and always-hungry Chiba-kun turns out to be an always-hungry lion."

Satou just stared at him.

"...You never noticed, right?"

Satou slowly shook her head, "No...I guess not." She cracked a small smile, "That is pretty funny, isn't it?"

By the time they had passed over the next hill, the sun had completely set. The moon was their only source of light, and to their relief there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Shiratori pointed off the beaten road, "There's a farmhouse over there. I can see a light in one of the windows."

Satou shivered; she didn't remember Oz being so cold after dark, "Maybe they can give us shelter for the night."

The house was small, hidden behind a fine line of trees. From the moonlight, a cornfield was visible. Shiratori hesitated for a moment, but rapped hard on the wooden door. They could hear someone shuffling around before the door opened a crack.

"Who are you?" the man on the other side growled, "What do you want?"

"My name is Shiratori Ninzaburo and this is Sa –"

"What is your business here?" While they could only see no more than half of his face, the man's eye seemed to be scanning the area.

"We need a place to stay for the night," said Shiratori, "We're on our way to the Emerald City, and Satou-san is injured –"

Satou opened her mouth to protest, but stopped after seeing Shiratori's hard glare.

"I can't," said the man, "It's too dangerous these days to aid strangers." He began closing the door.

"Wait!" Satou cried, shoving her foot into the open crack, "Please! The Wizard sent us here to help, and it's just for the night."

After a moment, the man opened the door just a bit wider. The two detectives could see a large crisscross scar covering over the man's left eye. "You say the Wizard sent you?" He narrowed his eye, "Who did you say you were?" He eyed them carefully.

"I'm Satou Miwako, and this is Shiratori Ninzaburo."

The man opened the door, "Get in, quickly. No telling who is lurking around out there."

Once the door was firmly locked, he turned to face them, "So you've come back, eh? About damn time." Now that the wooden door was no longer in the way, the two officers were able to get a look at the man. Aside from the scar over his eye, his hair was tied into a short ponytail and he was leaning on a crutch. He gestured to them to sit down.

Satou took a seat in a comfy armchair, "Who are you?"

"Yamato Kansuke. I was an inspector in the Emerald City Police, under Nakamori-keibu. Everything changed though, once you left Oz. At the time you were facing off the Wicked Witch of the West, I was out of the city. I returned to find the place in ruin, with a group of jokers holding law."

"Jokers?" Shiratori gasped, "You mean these Wheelers?"

"Yes. Their job is to scare everyone back out. They're not good for anything else. No one who enters the city nowadays stays very long. There's just no point anyways, everything is gone."

"That's where we need to go," said Satou, "We need to find the Wizard and my partner Takagi-kun. He wasn't able to leave with me the last time."

Yamato closed his eye and shook his head, "Good luck. You won't be able to get into the city long enough to reach the Wizard's Hall before the Wheelers chase you out. And based on that ankle you've got, you won't get far on the way out either. Oz is dangerous, and it's not just the Wheelers you need to look out for."

"What else is there?" Shiratori asked.

"Princess Mombi, if that's even her real name."

"Princess Mombi?" Satou frowned, "I don't remember her…."

"You wouldn't," Yamato sighed, "She rose to power soon after you left. No one knows where she even came from, it was all very sudden. She runs the Emerald City and keeps the jokers under control…albeit very _loose_ control. _She_'s the one you need to watch for," he said, and looked Satou in the eye, "Especially for you."

"Me? Why?"

"You'll see if you enter the city – something's happened to the women there, and it's not pretty. No one knows why, but they know Mombi was behind it. You could say she's a collector. …It's hard to explain, you'd have to enter the city to truly understand."

"She sounds like a weird one," Satou muttered.

"She is…but that's beside the point," said Yamato, getting up. He slowly crossed the room and disappeared around a corner, "I'll get some blankets. You can stay the night, but I advise you not to go to the City tomorrow. Obviously the Wizard sent you here to fix this damn mess, and if you go there tomorrow, odds are you won't make it out, and then Oz _will_ be screwed."

"We can't _not _go," said Satou once Yamato was out of earshot, "Takagi-kun and the Wizard are depending on us to help Oz. This Princess Mombi must have some idea what happened to them."

"She also doesn't seem like the kind who could be trusted either. For all we know she could be the reason they've disappeared."

"I've got to try," she said, as Yamato came back inside.

"Yamato-keibu, have you been in the City since all of this happened?"

"I went looking for my partner, Uehara. She was helping the mayor with some sort of investigation. …She never made it out during the takeover." He eyed them critically, "I can tell that nothing I've said is going to sway you…I'll go with you to the Emerald City tomorrow, if anything to get through and past those damn Wheelers."

Satou gasped, surprised, "You…you will? I didn't expect…."

"If the Wizard sent you back here – after he vanished, of all things – then he must think you're able to right the wrongs Oz is being plagued with. All of my fellow officers have been lost in the city. As the only member of the force left, I feel obligated to go with you, if anything to offer protection."

Satou smiled, "Thank you. Do you know where we'll find this Princess Mombi?"

"She has a palace on the other side of the city. You'll never make it there without being stopped by the Wheelers at least four times." He handed them some blankets. "Rest up. Tomorrow is going to be a long day." He turned to leave the room and then paused, "There should be someone left in the city that can help you. If we leave early enough, we might find him, if Mombi hasn't gotten to him first."


	12. The Emerald? City

Disclaimer: See previous chapter.

* * *

Chapter 12: The Emerald? City

The sun rose brightly the following morning, its rays extending through the window of the cottage, waking Shiratori. He opened his eyes, sat up, and looked around for a moment, taking in his surroundings. It took him a moment to remember he was in Yamato's house and not outside somewhere off of what used to be the Yellow Brick Road. He didn't see Satou anywhere.

Shiratori stood, stretched and walked into the next room.

Yamato and Satou were at a table in the kitchen. He was wrapping a new bandage around her ankle.

"We'll be leaving soon," said Yamato, "There's some food over there." He nodded at the counter.

"How far from the city are we?" asked Satou.

"About two hours. The earlier we set out, the better the chance to miss the Wheelers, or at least some of them."

Grabbing his crutch, he pushed himself off of the floor and peered out the window. "If we're lucky there won't be any complications along the way."

"What sort of complications," asked Shiratori.

"The Wheelers like to leave the city every couple of days and torment anyone they happen to find. If luck is on our side, the journey will be a relatively quick one."

* * *

The large cavern chamber had no visible way in or out. Along one wall, the rock began to morph into a face.

"_Your majesty, they have met up with one of the last survivors and are on their way into the Emerald City_."

The rock formation on the other side of the cavern also morphed into a face, this one much larger than the first, "_Hmm. Everything is going according to plan. Have you figured out where _he _is_?"

"_No, not yet. Cooperation is slim, and there is nothing to use for motivation_."

The larger rock scowled, "_Don't worry about it. Just keep an eye on her, and report if you find _him_. Nothing can go wrong this time_."

* * *

"There it is," Yamato sighed, "Pretty unrecognizable, isn't it?"

Satou gasped and backed away, "T-that's the Emerald City?"

Yamato nodded, "Quite a sight isn't it? I told you things had changed since you left."

Satou bit her lip. The once magnificent city looked like a warzone. Several skyscrapers were in ruin, and all of the buildings were void of their emerald-green shine. Glancing down, her eyes widened once more. She didn't realize it at first, but they were standing in what used to be the poppy field that she and Takagi had fallen asleep in. Now, the flowers had died and a long stretch of weeds stood in its place.

Shiratori broke the silence, "Takagi-kun is in there somewhere?"

Satou nodded, "And we're going to find him!"

Yamato started through the weeds, "Well, _hopefully_ you find him. I'll take you to someone I know who is still there. He will definitely be able to help you more than I will."

"What makes you so sure this person is still in the city?" asked Shiratori, "Those Wheelers might have gotten to him first."

Yamato shook his head, "No, the Wheelers would have left this one alone. He's someone only called upon in a time of crisis. He probably hasn't done anything in the last ten or so years."

"Sounds like an elusive guy," Satou muttered, "How will you know where to find him?"

"He generally stays in the same place. He can't travel too far without constant care."

Shiratori glanced back to see Satou trudging along several paces behind him, "How are you faring?"

"Alright I guess," she paused against a boulder, "The last time Takagi-kun and I came through, the Witch had enchanted the poppies with some sort of spell to slow us down. Look at this place, all that's left is weeds."

Yamato backtracked a few steps, "Until now. Once everything is put right, the poppies will return."

Eye-like scratches appeared on the boulder Satou was sitting on, leaning towards the three officers.

Satou looked up towards the city once more to see something flying in their direction. "What's that?"

Yamato looked up suddenly and shifted into a defensive stance, then froze. "It's a dove…but they haven't been seen in Oz since the takeover…."

"Why not?" Satou asked, "The Wizard had many doves."

"No one knows why. They just up and disappeared the same time the Wizard did. This one might be the only one left."

"Maybe he can lead us to some help," said Shiratori. The dove landed on his shoulder.

"Well we won't find out by sitting around here," said Satou, getting up, "It's time we found some answers to what was going on around here."

As they pressed onward, the eyes slid back into the boulder, reappearing in the mountain chamber.

"_Your majesty, they have just about reached the Emerald City. One of the City officers is with them."_

"_Makes no difference," said _the deeper-voiced other boulder_. "Mombi will take care of them."_

The first face frowned.

"_What is it?_"

"_She has…a dove with her._"

"_What! A dove?_"

* * *

The knot in Satou's stomach grew tighter and tighter the closer they got to the once-magnificent gates. Now, the large emerald doors were battered and worn. One was on its side, torn from the wall, and cracked in several places.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Satou gulped, sidestepping the fragments.

"The gate is the _least_ of your worries," said Yamato, "You haven't seen anything yet."

"Takagi-kun was last seen at the Wizard's Hall…," said Satou, "We should go there first."

"Easier said than done," Yamato sighed, "But it's in this direction."

The three officers carefully made their way through the city streets. It looked as though Oz had been through battle. Many of the brick buildings had chunks that had been blown out. Windows were smashed. Sidewalks were ripped apart.

"Quite different than how you remember it, isn't it?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Satou saw a man standing in front of a crumpled building. Taking a few steps forward, she stopped and gasped. Shiratori came up behind her. "He's…turned to stone!"

Yamato stared hard at the uneven ground, "Along with everyone else in this place." He eyed the oddly-quiet street cautiously, "Odd that we haven't met any resistance yet. We need to keep moving."

Satou took a last long look at the frozen man before joining the others. _Did Takagi-kun share their fate?_

They inched their way down a side alley and across a courtyard, when Satou froze suddenly, nearly causing Shiratori to crash into her. In the middle of the open area there was about twenty women in a circle, hand in hand, frozen in a dance. They were all headless.

Yamato followed her gaze. "Mombi has them."

"How long until we get to the Wizard's Hall?" Satou asked quickly. She didn't really care how or why Mombi had their heads. She just wanted to keep moving.

"From here, it's across that end of what used to be the park."

"Not to knock on wood…but I expected something to happen by now," said Shiratori, "From what you said earlier, I thought there would be Wheelers around." The dove flew alongside him.

"Watch it," Yamato growled, "We're lucky. Don't push it."

Luck was in their favor as they reached their destination. The long corridor leading into the main chamber seemed to stretch the further in they traveled.

Shiratori looked behind him to see Yamato poised at the entrance, keeping a suspicious watch down the street.

"I'll keep watch," he said, "You go find your friend. I'll call you if things go sour."

Shiratori nodded and hurried after Satou. He found her paused at a large set of closed double doors. "Is this it?"

She nodded and pushed them open. Her eyes widened in shock at the sight.

The elegant room was a complete wreck. The glass ceiling had collapsed in part and lay shattered and scattered across the marble floor. Walls had large cracks in them. A heavy layer of dust covered everything…but there was no sign of her partner.

"This place looks like it has seen better days," said Shiratori, grimacing.

Satou nodded, carefully maneuvering around the shards of glass. "We were here," she said, stopping in the middle of the room, "Right here, with the Wizard. He told Chiba-kun he had courage, and how Shiratori-kun – the tin man – had a heart, and where Mouri-san discovered the brain he never thought he had."

Shiratori placed a hand on her shoulder.

"He was right here, where we're standing," Satou said, shaking. "I-I thought…I thought maybe at least Mouri-san or the others would still be here…but this place is empty…where could they be?"

She looked to the side, where the Wizard had hidden Takagi during their adventure. To her surprise, the door was gone, and there was nothing but a solid wall. Other than through memory, every trace that another officer had been through the Hall was gone. Satou looked down. _He's not here…was he captured by Wheelers…or did he escape?_

She must so engrossed in staring at the floor that she didn't hear Yamato's quickened pace coming down the corridor. "We need to move," he said bitterly, "Wheelers are arriving around the front."

"Are we trapped in here?" asked Shiratori.

"No, we can get out the back, hopefully."

"There's a back exit?" Satou asked, finally picking up her head. "I didn't know there was a secret entrance here."

"Me neither," Yamato growled, "I discovered it by chance while looking for Uehara." He took a small key from his pocket and slid it into a tiny keyhole hidden in the stone wall. As if on a hinge, the wall opened, revealing a skinny passage.

"How did you find that door?" Shiratori asked.

"Like I said, pure chance." Yamato pulled the key from his pocket once he closed the door behind them, "This key is given to every officer and city official in the Emerald City. The Wheelers can't access them, so if anything should happen to me, get yourselves to City Hall and hide out until its safe again." He handed the key to Shiratori, "Just look for keyholes hidden in the walls. They're actually doors."

Satou looked at the key in his hand. It was old and looked as if it had been used quite a bit. The handle had "OZ" engraved in the end.

"There are several doors in City Hall. I recommend the one _inside_ the Mayor's office. If it comes down to it, hide there and wait for the Wheelers to leave."

"Did the Wizard get one of these keys too?" asked Satou, "Maybe he's hiding somewhere also." _Maybe Takagi-kun is with him…_

"No one has ever seen the Wizard personally…expect maybe you…so it's doubtful. But as Nakamori-keibu also worked here, this passage may have been made for him, in case of emergencies like this."

Yamato wrenched open the door on the other side of the passage. "Good, the Wheelers don't know about this route yet."

"Where do we go now?" Shiratori asked.

"City Hall. We're probably going to have to building-hop to get you two out of here in one piece."

"Wait!" Satou stopped, "I don't want to get out. I need some answers of what happened so we can find Takagi-kun!"

"_Mombi_ is what happened here!" Yamato growled, "And if _you_ don't get out of here, you won't have a head left if you're caught. Finding your friend will do no good without a brain to go with it."

Satou opened her mouth to retort when something just past Yamato caught her eye. Brushing past them, she stopped in front of three rather familiar statues. "Oh no…." She gazed sadly at Mouri the scarecrow, who was holding a frozen Chiba by the tail and looking quite afraid. Chiba looked the bravest of them all. He had been frozen mid-growl, claws extended, ready to attack. Beside him was Shiratori the tin man, frozen in mid-swing of his axe.

"Is this them?" Shiratori asked. He looked curiously at the tin man. _He really does look like me..._

Satou nodded, "I guess they've been turned to stone like everyone else."

Suddenly, a high-pitched squeaky sound was heard. The sound of wheels needing a good oil job was coming closer and closer from all directions.

"What is that?" she cringed.

Yamato sighed and swore under his breath, "Wheelers. By now, there's a good bet that they know where we're going."

Satou turned to go back to the others when something – or someone – wheeled up right next to her with a screech. She backed up a step, right into another. Hearing the sound of their tires, Shiratori and Yamato were also surrounded.

Shiratori eyed them critically. They seemed to be dressed like creepy clowns. They lacked hands and feet, having wheels instead. They were all dressed identically; their only individual feature was the mask covering their pale skin.

"Tee hee, look who is back in Oz!" One gave a lopsided giggle, pointing a wheel at Yamato, "Looking for some more people to save, cop?"

"Why don't you clowns go make yourselves useful and chase a cat up a tree?" Yamato barked.

"Woah hoo hoo!" cackled another, "This esteemed officer of the law thinks he can order us around!"

"You don't pull any weight around here anymore, One Eye. _We_ do. I believe we made that clear when you were here the last time."

"Ooh, look!" Another giggled, "He's got some new buddies!"

One nodded his head at Satou, "Looks like Mombi missed one…."

One near Shiratori pointed, "He – he's got a dove!"

There was a collective gasp. "That's treason!"

Yamato rolled his eye, "Only if you live here. There people are travelers. We're just passing through."

The first Wheeler snorted, "Suuuuure. No one "travels" through here. This is _our_ city now, and you're trespassing."

"This is your last warning, cop. Get out."

"But we'll keep this one here," grinned one of the Wheelers circling Satou.

"You won't like her, you Jokers," said Yamato, reaching into his pocket, "We're _all _officers of the law. Now get out of the way and let us leave like you suggested."

Now they were all giggling, "Look at this guy," said one, "he still thinks he's in charge!"

"He must've been hit by too many criminals. He's forgotten that the only law around here is the Nome King's."

Yamato pulled what looked like a gun out of his pocket and said in a low voice to Shiratori, "I'm going to hold them off as best I can. Get yourselves to City Hall. Find a place to hide. The one nearest the Mayor has something that can help you out."

"What about you?"

"Don't worry about me. The Wizard sent you here, so he obviously thinks you two can save us from this mess. Just be sure to get her out of the city. She'll do us no good headless and stoned."

He turned back to the Wheelers, "This is _your _last warning, clowns. Move aside, or lose your wheels."

It happened very quickly. The dove flew by and left a bulls-eye dropping on the first Wheeler. Using Chiba for support, Satou lashed out and delivered a swift kick to another. When that one tried to retaliate, Yamato shot out one of his front wheels, causing him to swerve into another.

"_GO_!"

Shiratori sprinted forward, grabbed Satou by the arm, and pulled her forward as they took off across the lawn.

Satou tried her best to ignore the pain shooting up her leg as she heard the ear-splitting shriek behind them, "I don't think we can outrun them."

"Don't think – just run." Shiratori said as they ran.

Satou glanced behind her, "Wait – do you have your gun on you?"

"Yes…why?"

"Just give it to me." Gasping for breath, she turned around and fired two shots behind her, then kept running.

"What was the point of that?"

Satou shook her head, "I thought it would slow them down."

"What happened to 'Don't think, just run'?"

They bolted past a set of headless dancing girls, and up the steps to City Hall.

"Where do we go from here?" Shiratori asked.

"Yamato-keibu said to find the passage near the Mayor's office…but I don't know where that is. I've never been in here before."

"There might be a directory here somewhere," said Shiratori, opening up the nearest desk.

"There's no time for that," said Satou quickly, glancing towards the entrance. She could hear the screaming tires coming closer, "We'll just have to run around and hope we find it."

"I _hate_ climbing up steps! Those two better be worth this!"

Shiratori's head whipped towards the door. Muttering under his breath, he took Satou's arm and pulled her down the nearest corridor.

"Do you even have an idea of where you're going?"

Shiratori shook his head, "At this point, does it matter? Just look out for keyholes!"

They rounded corner after corner. The smooth surface of the tiled floor made it easy for the Wheelers to catch up behind them.

Shiratori flung them around another bend when they nearly plowed into something in the way. A very living someone holding a rather long rifle.

"Get behind me," the man growled. The two officers didn't need telling twice, standing behind the stranger at a dead end.

Satou stared at the man, leaning on Shiratori for support while catching her breath. _I thought he was turned to stone…_.

The Wheelers rounded the corner and stopped short of the end of the rifle. The one in front giggled, "Hey gang, call off the search! Do a dance! Sing a song! We found the missing police chief Nakamori!"

Nakamori shrugged, "It wasn't hard. You twits just don't know where to look."

"Lucky for you, you're not the ones we're after today. We want _them_."

Nakamori raised the gun a bit higher. "You have no use for two strangers. Go have a staring contest with a statue."

"I don't think so. You see – by having a dove within their possession, they are committing a crime against the Nome King. As such, that gives us the right to tear them into little pieces and throw them into the Deadly Desert."

Nakamori narrowed his eyes, "You have five seconds to wheel yourselves out of here before heads start rolling. No one's going into the Desert while I'm still around."

"Your buddy Yamato thought the same way," giggled a Wheeler, "He wasn't much of a threat, why should you be any different?"

A bullet whizzed past his head.

"Oops," said Nakamori coldly, "My finger must have slipped. Tempt me again and it won't be an accident. Now get out of here."

The two leaders stared at each other for a few long minutes. Finally the Wheeler backed up. "C'mon…." As they filed out one shouted from around the corner, "You can't hide forever! _No one _disobeys the Nome King!"

Another bullet fired. "_OUT_!"

"…Nakamori-keibu! But Yamato-keibu said…"

"Rumors of me frozen in stone have been greatly exaggerated," he muttered.

"Yamato-keibu said everyone here was turned to stone. Why weren't you?" asked Shiratori.

"The same reason Yamato wasn't…and you're welcome, by the way."

"But…"

Nakamori turned to Satou, "I had gone up to your room that morning to switch the guard outside your door. The officers I had placed were no longer there, there was water and blood on the floor, and everyone was gone. I created a team and started out towards the Witch's Castle. By the time we returned, after hearing you lot had already made your way back here, the City was lost. There were only a handful of us left, so I told them to split up and meet in Munchkinland. Hide there and wait for things to die down. Only things didn't. Munchkinland is the closest village from here, and the Wheelers go there often. The officers are supposed to stay hidden, and then go out at night to collect food and supplies for the villagers. Our survival was supposed to remain a secret."

"Why did you remain here though?" asked Shiratori.

"I thought there might be survivors here…or, if anything, to get anyone foolish enough to travel here to turn around. If the Wheelers find you on a bored day, they'll be likely to throw you into the Deadly Desert just for kicks."

"What is the Deadly Desert?"

"It's a place you don't want to be in. It is the only thing that separates the Land of Oz from the Nome King's mountain. As for the desert itself, it lives up to its name. Any living thing that touches it turns to sand."

Shiratori and Satou shared a worried glance.

"So why were you two here? I doubt you were looking for me."

"We don't know what we're looking for," said Satou, "Yamato-keibu told us to go find the keyhole in the Mayor's office."

Nakamori nodded, "You want the mechanical man then."

Shiratori raised an eyebrow, "The what?"

Nakamori led them through the building, "He's only been used once in the history of Oz. I doubt it still works."

They stopped before a set of double doors.

"Is this the Mayor's office?" asked Shiratori.

"Yea. That keyhole should be near the far wall." He pushed open the doors and began examining the walls.

Satou took a minute to look around. The office was lined with books of all shapes and sizes. Mayor Hakuba was frozen, leaning over his desk, examining a sheet of paper with a few lines of verse and a small doodle at the bottom.

"Here it is."

Shiratori took the key and slipped it into the hole. There was a dull click and the wall swung open.

"He'll be able to help you more than I can," said Nakamori, "I need to leave the city tonight and meet up with the others in Munchkinland. Staying in these streets for too long is a sure-fire way to get sent to the Deadly Desert. I survived this long, so it'd be a waste to be killed now."

He turned to leave, then paused, "I'll get rid of any lingering Wheelers in the building. Good luck. All I can say is don't underestimate anyone…_especially _Princess Mombi."

Satou nodded. "Don't worry, we'll be careful."

Nakamori took a last look around the office, his eyes coming to rest on Hakuba for a moment, before gripping the rifle tightly and walked out of the office.

Satou watched him leave. "We're on our own now…."

* * *

Sorry for taking so long to get this out! Hope you enjoyed!

Until next time!


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